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Iron deficiency
Classification & external resources

Iron in heme
ICD-10	E61.1
ICD-9	280.9
DiseasesDB	6947
MedlinePlus	000584
eMedicine	med/1188

For a more specific and detailed discussion of anemia caused by iron deficiency, see the Wikipedia article iron deficiency anemia. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Image File history File links Heme. ... General Name, Symbol, Number iron, Fe, 26 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 8, 4, d Appearance lustrous metallic with a grayish tinge Standard atomic weight 55. ... Structure of Heme b A heme or haem is a prosthetic group that consists of an iron atom contained in the center of a large heterocyclic organic ring called a porphyrin. ... The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (most commonly known by the abbreviation ICD) provides codes to classify diseases and a wide variety of signs, symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances and external causes of injury or disease. ... The following codes are used with International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. ... // E00-E35 - Endocrine diseases (E00-E07) Disorders of thyroid gland (E00) Congenital iodine-deficiency syndrome (E01) Iodine-deficiency-related thyroid disorders and allied conditions (E02) Subclinical iodine-deficiency hypothyroidism (E03) Other hypothyroidism (E030) Congenital hypothyroidism with diffuse goitre (E031) Congenital hypothyroidism without goitre (E032) Hypothyroidism due to medicaments and other... The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (most commonly known by the abbreviation ICD) provides codes to classify diseases and a wide variety of signs, symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances and external causes of injury or disease. ... The following is a list of codes for International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. ... The Disease Bold textDatabase is a free website that provides information about the relationships between medical conditions, symptoms, and medications. ... MedlinePlus (medlineplus. ... eMedicine is an online clinical medical knowledge base that was founded in 1996. ... Anemia (AmE) or anaemia (BrE), from the Greek () meaning without blood, is a deficiency of red blood cells (RBCs) and/or hemoglobin. ... Iron deficiency anemia is the most common type of anemia, and the most common cause of microcytic anemia. ...

Iron deficiency (or "sideropenia") is the most common known form of nutritional deficiency. In the human body, iron is present in all cells and has several vital functions -- as a carrier of oxygen to the tissues from the lungs in the form of hemoglobin, as a transport medium for electrons within the cells in the form of cytochromes, and as an integral part of enzyme reactions in various tissues. Too little iron can interfere with these vital functions and lead to morbidity and mortality. Many diseases in humans are thought to be directly or indirectly related to nutrition, These include, but are not limited to, deficiency diseases, caused by a lack of essential nutrients. ... Trinomial name Homo sapiens sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 Humans, or human beings, are bipedal primates belonging to the mammalian species Homo sapiens (Latin: wise man or knowing man) in the family Hominidae (the great apes). ... General Name, Symbol, Number iron, Fe, 26 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 8, 4, d Appearance lustrous metallic with a grayish tinge Standard atomic weight 55. ... Drawing of the structure of cork as it appeared under the microscope to Robert Hook from Micrographia which is the origin of the word cell. POOP Cells in culture, stained for keratin (red) and DNA (green). ... General Name, Symbol, Number oxygen, O, 8 Chemical series nonmetals, chalcogens Group, Period, Block 16, 2, p Appearance colorless (gas) very pale blue (liquid) Standard atomic weight 15. ... Respiratory system The lungs flank the heart and great vessels in the chest cavity. ... 3-dimensional structure of hemoglobin. ... Cytochromes are generally membrane-bound proteins that contain heme groups and carry out electron transport or catalyse reductive/oxidative reactions. ... Ribbon diagram of the enzyme TIM, surrounded by the space-filling model of the protein. ... In medicine, epidemiology and actuarial science, the term morbidity can refer to the state of being diseased (from Latin morbidus: sick, unhealthy), the degree or severity of a disease, the prevalence of a disease: the total number of cases in a particular population at a particular point in time, the...

The direct consequence of iron deficiency is iron deficiency anemia. Groups that are most prone to developing this disease are children, and pre-menopausal women. Iron deficiency anemia is the most common type of anemia, and the most common cause of microcytic anemia. ... Menopause (also known as the Change of life or climacteric) is a stage of the human female reproductive cycle that occurs as the ovaries stop producing estrogen, causing the reproductive system to gradually shut down. ...

Total body iron averages approximately 3.8 g in men and 2.3 g in women. There are several mechanisms that control human iron metabolism and safeguard against iron deficiency. The main regulatory mechanism is situated in the gastrointestinal tract. When loss of iron is not sufficiently compensated by adequate intake after some time that is determined by the state of body iron storage, iron deficiency develops. Human beings use 20 mg of iron each day for the production of new red blood cells, much of which is recycled from old red blood cells. ...

Causes

• chronic bleeding (hemoglobin contains iron)
  • excessive menstrual bleeding
  • non-menstrual bleeding
  • bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract (ulcers, hemorrhoids, etc.)
  • rarely laryngological bleeding or from the respiratory tract
• inadequate intake (special diets low in dietary iron)
• substances (in diet or drugs) interfering with iron absorption
• malabsorption syndromes

Though genetic defects causing iron deficiency have been studied in rodents, there are no known genetic disorders of human iron metabolism that directly cause iron deficiency. 3-dimensional structure of hemoglobin. ... Menstrual cycle The menstrual cycle is the set of recurring physiological changes in a females body that are under the control of the reproductive hormone system and necessary for reproduction. ... Blood from a finger Bleeding is the loss of blood from the body. ... // The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract), also called the digestive tract, or the alimentary canal. ... An ulcer (from Latin ulcus) is an open sore of the skin, eyes or mucous membrane, often caused by an initial abrasion and generally maintained by an inflammation and/or an infection. ... Hemorrhoids (AmE), haemorrhoids (BrE), emerods, or piles) are varicosities or swelling and inflammation of veins in the rectum and anus. ... The larynx (plural larynges), or voicebox, is an organ in the neck of mammals involved in protection of the trachea and sound production. ... In humans the respiratory tract is the part of the anatomy that has to do with the process of respiration or breathing. ... Malabsorption is the state of impaired absorption of nutrients in the small intestine. ... A genetic disorder, or genetic disease is a disease caused by abnormal expression of one or more genes in a person causing a clinical phenotype. ... Human beings use 20 mg of iron each day for the production of new red blood cells, much of which is recycled from old red blood cells. ...

Symptoms

Symptoms of iron deficiency can occur even before the condition has progressed to iron deficiency anaemia.

Symptoms of iron deficiency are not unique to iron deficiency (ie not pathognomonic). Iron is needed for many enzymes to function normally, so a wide range of symptoms may eventually emerge, either as the secondary result of the anemia, or as other primary results of iron deficiency. Symptoms of iron deficiency include:

• Fatigue
• Pallor
• Irritability
• Weakness
• Pica

The word fatigue is used in everyday living to describe a range of afflictions, varying from a general state of lethargy to a specific work induced burning sensation within muscle. ... Pallor is an abnormal loss of skin or mucous membrane color. ... Irritability is an excessive response to stimuli. ... Weakness can mean: The opposite of strength Weakness (medical) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Pica is an appetite for non-nutritive substances (e. ...

Likely lab test results in people with iron deficiency

• A full blood count would likely reveal microcytic anemia^{[citation needed]}
• Low serum ferritin
• Low serum iron
• High TIBC (total iron binding capacity)
• It is possible that the fecal occult blood test might be positive, if iron deficiency is the result of gastrointestinal bleeding.

As always, laboratory values have to be interpreted with the lab's reference values in mind and considering all aspects of the individual clinical situation. A full blood count (FBC) or complete blood count (CBC) is a test requested by a doctor or other medical professional that gives information about the cells in a patients blood. ... Microcytic anemia is characterised by small red blood cells. ... Ferritin is a globular protein found mainly in the liver, which can store about 4500 iron (Fe3+)ions in a hollow protein shell made of 24 subunits. ... The medical laboratory test for serum iron measures the amount of circulating iron which is bound to transferrin. ... Total iron-binding capacity is a medical laboratory test. ... Fecal occult blood is a term for blood present in the feces that is not visibly apparent. ... Gastrointestinal bleeding describes every form of hemorrhage (blood loss) in the gastrointestinal tract, from the pharynx to the rectum. ... Reference value is a term used in medicine to denote a laboratory value used as a reference for values obtained by laboratory examinations of patients or samples (blood, urine or other materials) collected from patients. ...

Serum ferritin can be elevated in inflammatory conditions and so a normal serum ferritin may not always exclude iron deficiency.

Consequences

Continued iron deficiency may progress to anemia and worsening fatigue. Thrombocytosis, or an elevated platelet count, can also result. A lack of iron in the blood is a reason that some people cannot donate blood. Thrombocytosis is the presence of high platelet counts in the blood, and can be either reactive or primary (also termed essential and caused by a myeloproliferative disease). ... A 250 ml bag of newly collected platelets. ...

Treatment

Before any treatment is commenced there should be definitive diagnosis of the underlying cause for iron deficiency, particularly in older patients who are most susceptible to colorectal cancer and the gastrointestinal bleeding it often causes. In adults, 60% of patients with iron deficiency anemia may have underlying gastrointestinal disorders leading to chronic blood loss.^[1] It is likely that the cause of the iron deficiency will need treatment as well. Colorectal cancer, also called colon cancer or bowel cancer, includes cancerous growths in the colon, rectum and appendix. ...

When iron deficiency has been diagnosed the condition can be treated with iron supplements, e.g. in the form of ferrous sulfate, ferrous gluconate, or amino acid chelate tablets. Recent research suggests the replacement dose of iron, at least in the elderly with iron deficiency, may be as little as 15 mg per day of elemental iron.^[2] Iron supplements are supplements that can be prescribed by a doctor for a medical reason. ... Iron(II) sulfate (FeSO4) is an example of an ionic compound. ... Iron (II) di-D-gluconate (more colloquially known as Ferrous gluconate[1]) is a black colored dye and often used as an iron supplement. ...

Good Natural Sources of Iron (Foods)

Iron deficiency can have serious health consequences that diet may not be able to quickly correct, and iron supplementation is often necessary if the iron deficiency has become symptomatic. However, mild iron deficiency can be corrected, and prevented, by eating iron-rich foods. Because iron is an absolute requirement for most of the earth's plants and animals, a wide range of food can provide iron. However, these foods are absorbed and processed differently by the body; for instance, iron from meat (heme iron source) is more easily broken down and absorbed than iron in grains (nonheme iron source), and minerals and chemicals in one type of food may inhibit absorption of iron from another type of food eaten at the same time.[1] Because iron from plant sources is less easily absorbed than the heme-bound iron of animal sources, vegetarians and vegans should have a somewhat higher total daily iron intake than those who eat meat, fish or poultry.[2] Legumes and dark-green leafy vegetables like spinach are especially good sources of iron for vegetarians and vegans. Iron from nonheme sources is more readily absorbed if consumned with foods that contain either heme-bound iron or vitamin C. [3] For animals adapted to eat primarily plants, sometimes referred to as vegetarian animals, see Herbivore. ... Hens kept in cramped conditions — the avoidance of animal suffering is the primary motivation of people who become vegans A vegan is a person who avoids the ingestion or use of animal products. ... Varieties of soybean seeds, a popular legume Pea pods A legume is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or a fruit of these plants. ... Binomial name Spinacia oleracea L. Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. ...

List of Grains Rich in Iron: Iron (mg.)
Brown rice, 1 cup cooked 0.8
Whole wheat bread, 1 slice 0.9
Wheat germ, 2 tablespoons 1.1
English Muffin, 1 plain 1.4
Oatmeal, 1 cup cooked 1.6
Total cereal, 1 ounce 18.0
Cream of Wheat, 1 cup 10.0
Pita, whole wheat, 1 slice/piece, 6 ½ inch 1.9
Spaghetti, enriched, 1 cup, cooked 2.0
Raisin bran cereal, 1 cup 6.3

List of Iron Rich Legumes, Seeds, and Soy:
Sunflower seeds, 1 ounce 1.4
Soy milk, 1 cup 1.4
Kidney beans, ½ cup canned 1.6
Chickpeas, ½ cup, canned 1.6
Tofu, firm, ½ cup 1.8
Soy burger, 1 average 1.8 to 3.9*

List of Vegetables Rich in Iron:
Broccoli, ½ cup, boiled 0.7
Green beans, ½ cup, boiled 0.8
Lima beans, baby, frozen, ½ cup, boiled 1.8
Beets, 1 cup 1.8
Peas, ½ cup frozen, boiled 1.3
Potato, fresh baked, cooked w/skin on 4.0
Vegetables, green leafy, ½ cup 2.0
Watermelon, 6 inch x ½ inch slice 3.0

A Sample List of Foods Rich in Iron:
Blackstrap Molasses, one tablespoon 3.0
Dates or Prunes, ½ cup 2.4
Beef, Pork, Lamb, three ounces 2.3 to 3.0
Liver (beef, chicken), three ounces 8.0 to 25.0
Clams, Oysters ¾ cup 3.0
Dark meat Turkey ¾ cup 2.6
Pizza, cheese or pepperoni, ½ of 10 inch pie 4.5 to 5.5

• Varies with brand. Check the iron content on the label.

• • Pregnant women should not eat liver because of its very high Vitamin A content. Large amounts of Vitamin A can be harmful to the baby.

Source:[4]

References

1. ^ Rockey D, Cello J (1993). "Evaluation of the gastrointestinal tract in patients with iron-deficiency anemia". N Engl J Med 329 (23): 1691-5. PMID 8179652. 
2. ^ Rimon E, Kagansky N, Kagansky M, Mechnick L, Mashiah T, Namir M, Levy S (2005). "Are we giving too much iron? Low-dose iron therapy is effective in octogenarians". Am J Med 118 (10): 1142-7. DOI:10.1016/j.amjmed.2005.01.065. PMID 16194646. 

A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ...

External links

• Recommendations to Prevent and Control Iron Deficiency in the United States