ANAEMIA – IRON DEFICIENCY
An iron deficiency anaemia is likely to occur if there is blood loss and therefore iron loss as well.
The symptoms that may result from anaemia are tiredness and shortness of breath. With iron deficiency anaemia there are other symptoms such as a sore red tongue and there may be a reduced amount of acid secreted by the stomach leading to digestive problems.
The diagnosis of iron deficiency anaemia is made by simple tests of the blood to determine the amount of haemoglobin and also by looking at the red blood cells under the microscope.
They will be less in number and they are also smaller and paler than normal.
The amount of iron in the blood may be measured and this reflects the amount of iron stored in the tissues.
Treatment is simple — iron tablets are given by mouth, usually in the form of the salt, ferrous sulphate which is cheap and effective.
Sometimes iron tablets may upset the bowel, causing diarrohoea or constipation. The iron will also stain the patient’s motion black and the patient needs to be warned about this.
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