Causes and signs of iron deficiency in the female body. Iron: the norm in the blood, why is it low or high What does a low level of iron in the blood mean?

Iron deficiency anemia is a hypochromic microcytic anemia, which is a consequence of an absolute decrease in the human body's iron stores. According to the WHO, this syndrome occurs in every sixth man and every third woman, that is, about two hundred million people are affected by it in the world.

This anemia was first described in 1554, and drugs for its treatment were first used in 1600. It is a serious problem that threatens the health of society, since it has no small effect on performance, behavior, mental and physiological development. This significantly reduces social activity, but, unfortunately, anemia is often underestimated, because gradually a person gets used to a decrease in iron stores in his body.

IDA is very common in adolescents, preschoolers, infants and women who have already reached childbearing age. What are the reasons for such an iron deficiency in the human body?

Causes

A very common cause of iron deficiency anemia is blood loss. This is especially true for long-term and constant blood loss, even if insignificant. In this case, it turns out that the amount of iron that enters the human body along with food is less than the amount of iron that is lost by it. Even if a person consumes a lot of foods containing iron, this may not make up for his deficiency, since the physiological absorption of this element from food is limited.

The usual daily diet assumes an iron content of about 18 grams. In this case, only about 1.5 grams is absorbed, or 2 if the body has increased needs for this element. It turns out that iron deficiency occurs when more than two grams of this element is lost per day.

Iron loss is different for men and women. In men, losses occurring with sweat, feces, urine and epithelium are not more than one milligram. If they consume enough iron from food, then they will not develop a deficiency. In women, iron loss is greater, as there are additional factors for this, such as pregnancy, childbirth, lactation and menstruation. Therefore, in women, the need for iron is often greater than its absorption. So, let's look at the causes of iron deficiency anemia in more detail.

Pregnancy. It should be noted that if there was no iron deficiency before pregnancy or lactation, then these facts, most likely, will not lead to a decrease in the reserves of this element. However, in the event that the pregnancy occurred for the second time, and the gap between the first and second pregnancy was small, or iron deficiency was already developed before it, it will become even greater. Every pregnancy, every birth, and every lactation period results in a loss of about 800 mg of iron.
Blood loss from the urinary tract. This rare reason, but it still occurs. Iron deficiency occurs due to the constant excretion of red blood cells in the urine. Also, this element can be lost, not being a component of erythrocyte hemoglobin. We are talking about hemoglobinuria and hemosiderinuria in patients with Markiafava-Micheli disease.

Bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract. This is the most common reason anemia in men, and in women this is the second cause. These blood loss may occur due to peptic ulcer the duodenum or stomach, invasions of intestinal or stomach tumors by helminths and other diseases.
Blood loss into closed cavities with impaired iron reutilization. This form of iron deficiency anemia includes the anemia that occurs with isolated pulmonary siderosis. This ailment is characterized by constant blood loss to the lung tissue.

Newborns and infants are prone to iron deficiency anemia for the following reasons:

blood loss with placenta previa;
intestinal bleeding accompanying some infectious diseases;
damage to the placenta during cesarean section;

Such a state in childhood fraught with serious dangers, since the child's body is most sensitive to iron deficiency. By the way, a child can develop anemia due to improper nutrition, which can be expressed in malnutrition or monotonous diet. Also in children, as in some adults, the cause can be helminthic intoxication, due to which the production of red cells and all hematopoiesis is inhibited.

Symptoms

The set of symptoms in anemia depends on how severe the iron deficiency is and how fast this condition continues to develop. The symptoms of iron deficiency anemia are best seen in terms of two important syndromes. But before that, let us briefly mention several stages and severity of anemia. There are two stages in total:

At the first stage, the deficiency does not have a clinic, such anemia is called latent;
At the second stage, anemia has a detailed clinical and laboratory picture.

In addition, the classification of iron deficiency anemia involves the division of the disease by severity.

The first degree of severity is considered mild. The Hb content is between 90 and 120 g / l.
The second, moderate, severity assumes an Hb content in the range from 70 to 90.
In severe cases, the Hb content does not exceed 70.

And, finally, and most importantly, the division of iron deficiency anemia depending on the clinical manifestations. There are two important syndromes, each of which has its own characteristics.

Anemic syndrome

It is characterized by a decrease in the number of red blood cells, hemoglobin content, as well as inadequate oxygen supply to tissues. All this manifests itself in nonspecific syndromes. A person complains of increased fatigue, general weakness, dizziness, palpitations, flashing flies, tinnitus, shortness of breath during physical exercise, fainting, drowsiness, decreased mental performance and memory. Subjective manifestations first disturb a person when the physical plane is loaded, and subsequently at rest. Objective examination reveals pallor of the skin and visible mucous membranes. In addition, the appearance of pastiness in the face, feet and legs is possible. In the morning, there is swelling under the eyes. It is worth noting that not all of these signs appear at once in one person.

With anemia, myocardial dystrophy syndrome develops. He is accompanied by symptoms such as tachycardia, shortness of breath, arrhythmia, deafness of heart sounds, moderate expansion of the left borders of the heart and a quiet systolic murmur, manifested in the auscultatory points. If anemia is long and severe, this syndrome can lead to severe circulatory failure. Iron deficiency anemia does not develop abruptly. This happens gradually, due to which the human body adapts and the manifestations of the anemic syndrome are not always pronounced.

Sideropenic syndrome

It is also called hyposiderosis syndrome. This condition is caused by tissue iron deficiency, due to which the activity of many enzymes decreases. Sideropenic syndrome has many manifestations. The symptoms of iron deficiency anemia in this case are as follows:

addiction to sour, salty, spicy, or spicy foods;
dystrophic changes in the skin, as well as its appendages, which manifests itself in dryness, peeling hair loss, early graying, fragility, dullness of nails and so on;
perversion of taste, manifested in an irresistible desire to eat something that is not edible and unusual, for example, clay, chalk;
perversion of smell, that is, an addiction to odors that are perceived by most as unpleasant, for example, gasoline, paint, and so on;
angular stomatitis;
urge to urinate of an imperative nature, inability to hold back when sneezing, coughing or laughing;
atrophic changes in the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract;
glossitis, characterized by pain and bursting feeling in the tongue;
a clear predisposition to infectious and inflammatory processes;
sideropenic subfebrile condition, when the body temperature rises to subfebrile values.

Diagnostics

In order to appoint effective treatment, it is necessary to distinguish iron deficiency anemia from other types of hypochromic anemia, which develop for other reasons, which include many pathological conditionscaused by disturbed processes of hemoglobin formation. The main difference is that other types of anemias occur in the case of a high concentration of iron ions in the blood. Its reserves are fully preserved in the depot, and therefore, there are no symptoms of tissue deficiency of this element.

Further diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia consists in finding out the reasons that led to the development of this disease. We have discussed the reasons above. They can be identified using different methods.

Differential diagnosis includes:

methods for determining lost blood in women during menstruation;
x-ray examinations of the intestines and stomach;
studies that exclude or confirm uterine fibroids;
laboratory methods that examine blood, bone marrow and determine the indicators of iron metabolism; for example, it is not easy for a doctor to identify bleeding that has occurred in the digestive tract and its causes, but a diagnosis can be made by counting the number of reticulocytes; an increase in the number of these elements is a sign of bleeding;
gastroscopy; irrigoscopy; colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy; these studies are carried out even with frequent nosebleeds and other conditions that are associated with blood loss;
diagnostic laparoscopy; that small surgical intervention, which is carried out in the event that there is proven blood loss from the gastrointestinal area, but it is not possible to identify the source of such bleeding; thanks to this method, you can visually see everything that happens in the abdominal cavity itself.

Treatment

Treatment of iron deficiency anemia is aimed at treating the pathology due to which iron deficiency has developed. A very important point is the use of iron-containing drugs, which help restore the body's iron stores. Routine administration of iron-containing preparations is unacceptable, as it is expensive, ineffective and often leads to diagnostic errors.

It is very important for people with anemia to eat right. The diet includes a sufficient amount of meat products that contain iron in the heme composition. It is absorbed more efficiently. However, nutrition alone will not improve the situation in the body due to anemia.

Iron deficiency anemia is treated with oral iron supplements. Parenteral agents are used in case of special indications. Today, there are many medicines that contain iron salts, for example, orferon, ferroplex. Preparations that have two hundred milligrams of iron sulfate are considered cheap and convenient, it turns out that there are fifty milligrams of elemental iron in one tablet. For adults, an acceptable dose is one or two tablets three times a day. An adult patient should receive at least two hundred grams per day, that is, three milligrams per kilogram, meaning elemental iron.

Sometimes, in connection with the intake of iron-containing drugs, undesirable effects may occur. This is most often due to irritation that occurs in the gastrointestinal tract. This usually concerns the lower parts of it and manifests itself in diarrhea or severe constipation. This is usually not related to the dosage of the drug. However, the irritation that occurs in the upper regions is precisely related to the dosage. This is expressed in pain, discomfort and nausea. In children, adverse events are rare, and are expressed in temporary darkening of the teeth. To prevent this from happening, the drug is best given at the root of the tongue. It is also recommended to brush your teeth more often and drink the medicine with liquid.

If the adverse events are too severe and associated with the upper gastrointestinal tract, you can take the drug after meals, and you can also reduce the dose taken at a time. If such phenomena persist, the doctor may prescribe medications that contain less iron. If this method does not help either, it is advised to switch to slow-acting medications.

The main reason for treatment failure is ongoing bleeding. Identifying and stopping bleeding is the key to successful therapy.

Let's list the main reasons that lead to the ineffectiveness of treatment:

combined deficiency, when not only iron is lacking, but also folic acid or vitamin B12;
wrong diagnosis;
taking drugs that act slowly.

To get rid of iron deficiency, you need to take medicines containing this element for at least three months or even more. The use of oral medications will not overload the body with iron, since absorption decreases sharply when the reserves of this element are restored.

The main indications for the use of parenteral drugs are as follows:

the need to quickly compensate for iron deficiency, for example, before surgery or in case of significant blood loss;
impaired absorption of iron due to damage to the small intestine;
side effects from taking oral medications.

Parenteral administration can produce undesirable effects. It can also lead to the accumulation of iron in the body in an undesirable amount. The heaviest side effect from taking parenteral drugs is an anaphylactic reaction. It can arise as with intramuscular injection, and with intravenous administration. This reaction rarely occurs, however, parenteral drugs in any case should be used only in a specialized medical institution, in which at any moment can be provided urgent Care.

Effects

Any disease, if not treated on time, will not lead to anything good. It is the same with anemia. In this state, the body experiences a kind of stress, which can be expressed in loss of consciousness. In this state, a person can go to the hospital, where doctors will conduct a variety of examinations in order to understand the cause. This includes blood tests, gastroscopy, and so on.

For example, it may turn out that a person has gastritis with low acidity of the stomach, due to which there is a reduced amount of iron in his body. In this case, vitamin B12 is often prescribed for a course of twenty days. But this does not eliminate the cause of the anemia, since a person has a diseased intestine or stomach. Therefore, doctors will give such a patient recommendations related to his disease, and also advise him to examine the blood every few months.

Prophylaxis

There are four main ways to prevent iron deficiency anemia.

Taking iron preparations for the prevention of those people who are at risk.
Eating foods containing iron in large quantities.
Regular monitoring of the state of the blood.
Elimination of sources of blood loss.

A very important point is the prevention of anemia in childhood. It includes:

correct daily routine;
rational feeding;
preventive courses of taking iron preparations up to 1.5 years.

If feeding is breastfeeding, timely introduction of complementary foods is considered prevention. If feeding is artificial, then children are advised to give milk formulas, which are close in properties to breast milk and contain iron forms that are easy to digest.

It is important to closely monitor the child's diet in the second half of the year. At this time, their own reserves of iron are already depleted, so there is an urgent need to replenish its reserves. The protein part of the diet helps to do this, since protein and iron are components of red blood cells. These products include eggs, meat, fish, cheese, cereal and vegetable dishes.

It is also necessary to ensure that such important trace elements as manganese, copper, nickel, B vitamins and so on enter the child's body. Therefore, the diet should contain foods such as beef, beets, green peas, potatoes, tomatoes, and so on.

As you can see, it is important for both adults and children to monitor their diet and lifestyle in order to prevent anemia. However, if any symptoms occur, which we also talked about in this article, you must immediately go to the doctor and prevent your body from getting used to such a painful condition. Timely treatment of anemia returns a person to his activity and prolongs his life!

Sometimes situations arise when a patient has low iron with normal hemoglobin. Everyone knows that iron deficiency leads to the development of iron deficiency anemia, but this is not always the case. Quite often, iron deficiency occurs not only when a patient has a normal amount of hemoglobin, but also when it increased rates... This situation is observed both in well-equipped cities, where about 20% of residents suffer from a lack of this element, and in areas endowed with low medical indicators. Here the situation is much more difficult and about 80% of the population suffers from a lack of iron.

Symptoms and signs of iron deficiency

Currently, the problem of the lack of this substance in humans is not given too much attention. In fact, it is quite serious condition health, which is characterized by painful and strongly pronounced signs, especially noticeable at a late stage of the disease. However, it often happens that patients who have a lack of iron in the body are treated for completely other diseases, such as vegetative-vascular or neurocirculatory dystonia. This is due to the fact that on initial stage the symptoms of a lack of this chemical element are not specific, so it can be difficult to diagnose in a timely manner this pathology and correctly assess the possible consequences.

As a result, patients suffering from iron deficiency are prescribed treatment with drugs that are not highly effective. These include different types of iron supplements, where the level of this substance will be low for quick treatment and disease prevention.

As mentioned above, a person's iron deficiency has rather severe symptoms that affect the patient's health, these include:

dizziness and headache;
weakness and constant feeling of tiredness;
shortness of breath even after a slight load on the body;
hair loss;
pain in the lower part of the tongue and atrophy of its papillae;
tachycardia - heart palpitations;
bluish tint to the eyes, namely proteins;
fatigue leg syndrome, in which the discomfort that occurs when resting is relieved by movement.

Sometimes patients suffering from iron deficiency develop a distorted taste, which is expressed in the following:

the desire to eat crashes and paper - the disease is called amilophagy;
the desire to eat raw clay, earth - this phenomenon is called geophagy;
the desire to constantly eat one ice - this phenomenon is called pakophagia.

Since iron deficiency can aggravate the course of pathological conditions such as dementia (dementia), heart disease and heart failure, the presence of these diseases should already become a reason for controlling the amount of iron in a patient.

The relationship of iron and food

Almost all foods contain iron, but from some ingredients it is absorbed well, while from others it is much worse. This is due to the fact that "animal" products contain heme iron, which is well absorbed by the body, in contrast to plant products containing non-heme iron. It is worth remembering that vegetable (non-heme) iron is absorbed by only 1-6% of its actual weight.

The main function of heme iron is the formation of a certain substance (hemo) that can bind oxygen in the lung cavity and deliver it to internal organs and systems.

Sources of such an element of animal origin are:

meat;
liver;
fish.

The non-heme element, as mentioned above, is absorbed by the body somewhat worse and this process directly related to how much iron is already present in the body. With its deficiency, non-heme iron is absorbed better than with its normal amount. Also, the absorption of non-heme iron, found in plant foods, is directly related to how this element is dissolved in the intestine, which depends on the food consumed.

Beverages such as coffee and tea significantly impair iron absorption, as do grains, legumes, and nuts because they contain phytic acid.

The main causes of iron deficiency

Doctors divide all the reasons for the lack of this element into several groups:

Blood loss
Poor absorption and assimilation of iron from the gastrointestinal tract
Lack of iron from food
Other factors

Also, a combination of several of the above factors can cause iron deficiency.

The main causes of blood loss are:

donation;
monthly;
trauma, operations performed;
bleeding resulting from hemorrhoids, stomach and duodenal ulcers.

The following reasons affect the poor absorption of the component in the gastrointestinal tract:

chronic inflammation of the stomach lining;
infection with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori;
gastritis.

The reasons for the low amount of iron are: improperly formulated diet, difficult social conditions of a person, vegetarianism.

Iron deficiency diagnostics

If, during a medical examination, the doctor suspects the patient has a lack of iron, he should prescribe an additional medical examination, which will confirm or deny the alleged diagnosis.

Since the initial symptoms of iron deficiency are nonspecific, a blood count test is first prescribed to assess hemoglobin levels. Since a lack of an element is not always anemia, this condition can occur at any level of hemoglobin. Thanks to the KLA, it will be possible to exclude the risk of anemia, as well as to identify the cause of anemia with low hemoglobin - this will determine the correct further examination technique.

To confirm the lack of iron, the doctor prescribes to patients:

ferritin, which is able to reflect the amount of iron in the patient;

OZHSS;
determination of the amount of iron in the blood stream.

Iron deficiency is treated with medications.

Many of them have their own side effectsthat are associated with the work of the digestive tract:

nausea turning into vomiting;
diarrhea;
the appearance of constipation;
metallic taste in the mouth.

If the patient has similar effects, he should not stop taking the medication on his own. It is necessary to visit a doctor who will adjust the dose of the medication in order to reduce the negative side effects.

It should also be borne in mind that iron-containing drugs can give the stool a dark shade, which should not bother you.

After all, this cannot be called a sign of bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract, since such a phenomenon is considered only the reason for the interaction of food with this element.

Anyone who is far from medicine, looking at the sheet of results of a general blood test, wonders what it means - serum iron is below normal, as evidenced by this indicator, is its deficiency dangerous?

Iron function in the blood

Blood is the main element in the human body, which has the largest number of functions and obligations. Blood provides cells with nutrients, removes metabolic end products, participates in thermoregulation, and is a link between all human organs.

However, its most important function is to saturate each cell with oxygen, without which their life and normal functioning is impossible. And it is in this process that serum iron is involved.

In addition, iron provides the process of hematopoiesis, normal cell activity, regulates immunobiological processes and redox reactions.

Iron is not found in its pure form in the blood, but it is a part of hemoglobin, myoglobin, cytochromes, myeloenzymes. Some of it is in the spleen, liver and bone marrow in the form of a so-called reserve. And up to 80% of the total volume of iron is part of hemoglobin. It is precisely in the composition of the latter that it is responsible for hematopoiesis, oxygenation of cells and regulation of the immune system.

Iron levels are directly affected by a person's diet.

These are mainly beef, liver, buckwheat, legumes and eggs. In addition to the iron-containing ones, the use of foods containing vitamin C is required, which promotes the absorption of iron.

Blood test

The level of iron can change during the day, and in the morning its concentration is highest. It also depends on the gender of the person; in men, the level is higher. In women, its content is lower, often depends on menstrual cycle... Also, stress, fatigue and lack of adequate sleep directly affect its indicator.

The normal level of content in men is fixed in the range from 11.64 to 30.43, in women - 8.95-30.43 μmol / liter. In children under one year old and from one to 14 years old, this indicator is equal to 7.16-17.90 and 8.95-21.48, respectively.

The iron content in the blood is checked by biochemical analysis of venous blood. It is recommended to collect blood for analysis in the morning, on an empty stomach, preferably between 7 and 10 hours. Even one iron pill taken the day before, testosterone or aspirin in large doses, the use of vitamin B12, contraceptives in pills and alcohol can affect the correctness of the result.

Such a blood test is prescribed if a person has severe fatigue, depression, general weakness, lack of appetite, disruption of the gastrointestinal tract, dryness and pallor of the skin, disruption of the immune system. In addition, brittle hair and nails, cracks in the corners of the mouth, a violation of taste and smell, and an increase in temperature are observed.

Reasons for changing the indicator

Low levels of iron in a person's blood depend on many factors, both external and internal. First of all, this is an unbalanced diet, a poor diet, and vegetarianism. No wonder they say: we are what we eat. For normal life, people should eat all the fats, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and, most importantly, iron they need with food.

Beef and liver are the main iron-containing foods available to mankind.

Their lack or refusal to eat should be replaced by other foods that can saturate the body with iron. It can be beans, apples, fish fat, fresh herbs.

In addition, there are a number of internal diseaseswhich result in low blood iron levels.

Since the intake of this element occurs mainly through the digestive system, namely the duodenum, its low level may be due to various diseases of this zone. Any inflammatory process in the intestine can reduce the absorption of beneficial trace elements, and as a result, there is a lack of iron.

With intensive growth in adolescents and children, the level of iron in the blood drops sharply, as a result, the reserves of this element are borrowed from the liver and bone marrow, which leads to general exhaustion.

You need to carefully monitor the serum iron indicator in pregnant and lactating women, since it is during this period that the mother's body gives up all the important components for the formation and feeding of the child.

Few people know, but cancer, internal bleeding, ulcers and gastritis can lead to iron deficiency.

Effects

The main and most common consequence of a lack of iron in the blood is anemia. This blood disorder is directly related to the level of hemoglobin, in other words, red blood cells. It is they who transport oxygen and important trace elements throughout the body. Anemia in children is often caused by the consumption of large amounts of dairy products that interfere with the absorption of iron, accelerated growth. The main symptoms of anemia are fatigue, headache, lethargy, and dizziness. If anemia is not diagnosed in time in children and the elderly, it can even lead to death.

Another very dangerous consequence of iron deficiency is a weakening of the immune system.

In this case, blood serum loses its ability to timely inform certain organs about violations in their work, which leads to the inability of the body to resist infections. This can lead to development chronic diseases respiratory organs, tuberculosis, shortness of breath.

Lack of iron can cause a decrease blood pressureleading to frequent dizziness, weakness, muscle atrophy and heart rhythm disturbances.

How to increase serum iron in the blood

If, after a biochemical blood test, a lack of iron in the blood was detected, the attending physician should conduct a detailed examination of the patient, interview him, and, if necessary, prescribe additional tests. It is important to make an accurate diagnosis on time and carry out timely treatment so that irreversible processes do not occur in the body as a whole and in the organs in particular.

With a decrease in iron due to improper and unbalanced nutrition, it is worth thinking about the diet, drinking iron-containing tablets, and excluding dairy products from the diet.

If it turns out that the problem is in the intestines, it is very important to localize the disease, eliminate it and its consequences. Basically, conventional drug treatment is sufficient, in extreme cases resort to surgical intervention.

It is very important to monitor both iron and hemoglobin levels in younger children. preschool age, adolescents and seniors. This category should have regular blood tests for timely diagnosis of anemia and other diseases. In children, due to their active growth, a lack of oxygen can lead to rather complex deviations, developmental delay, and growth retardation. With a decrease in the level of this trace element, it is imperative to include in their diet the liver, apples, nuts, to reduce the amount of dairy products, but not to exclude them completely, since they are the main sources of calcium necessary for the formation and growth of bone mass.

In elderly people, limited in health and activity, even if the level of iron is slightly lowered, this can lead to irreparable changes in the brain, heart muscle.

The same can be said for pregnant women. The consumption of iron-containing products of this category of the population should be doubled, and control over its indicators should be carried out quite regularly. As in other cases, you should eat right, drink vitamins for pregnant women, and constantly visit a doctor.

With a normal lifestyle, a balanced diet, exclusion of alcohol and other harmful substances, careful monitoring of your condition, full absorption of iron and its accumulation in the body are guaranteed.

In contact with

The presence of metals in the blood of any living creature is of great importance. The rate of iron in the blood is an important indicator of healthy tissue oxygenation and more. Its excess or deficiency can bring serious problems to the functioning of the body. Today we will talk about the analysis for iron in the blood: how to properly prepare for it, evaluate the data obtained and what to do if a deviation is diagnosed.

Iron (Fe) functions

The amount of iron in the body is approximately 4-5 grams. About 70% of the iron supplied with food is included in the composition of hemoglobin, that is, it is spent on providing tissues and organs with oxygen. That is why sometimes hemoglobin and iron levels are associated with each other, but hemoglobin and iron are not the same thing. About 10% of iron is needed for myoglobin, which is involved in the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide in muscle tissue... Approximately 20% is deposited in the liver as a reserve. And only 0.1% combines with protein and circulates in the blood plasma.

Low iron in the blood can interfere with various processes in which this element is involved. Fe in the body is necessary for:

Transport of oxygen and carbon dioxide:
Fresh blood production;
Metabolism and energy exchange;
DNA production;
Maintaining immunity;
Hormone production thyroid gland;
Normal course of redox reactions;
Destruction of toxic substances in the liver.

Of course, this is not the whole list of the functions of iron in the body. The deviation of iron from the norm affects the condition of the skin, hair and nails. In order for all systems to function properly, it is important to regularly monitor your iron levels.

An iron test is usually prescribed if any abnormalities were found in the general blood test or in the study of hemoglobin, erythrocytes or hematocrit. The analysis is also used in the treatment of anemia, poisoning with iron-containing medications and suspected iron overload.

Iron level in the blood: normal

In the blood, the normal iron content in humans is 7-31 μmol, however, much depends on the age and gender of the subject, and it also varies during the day. And if the influence of the time of day can be neutralized by donating blood only in the morning and on an empty stomach, then gender and age, of course, must be taken into account. So, the rate of iron in the blood for women is on average 10-21.5 μmol / l, for men - 14-25 μmol / l. Obviously, it is permissible for the fair sex to have a little less iron in the blood. This difference in the rate of iron in the blood in women and men is explained menstrual features the weaker sex. With age, these differences disappear, and the norm for both sexes is almost equal.

Let's give the optimal indicators of iron in the blood for people of different ages in μmol / l:

Children under 1 month old: 5-22;

Children from 1 month to 1 year: 5-22;

Children from 1 to 4 years old: 5-18;

Children 4-7 years old: 5-20;

Children 7-10 years old: 5-19;

Children 10-13 years old: 5-20;

Children 13-18 years old: 5-24;

Male gender, over 18 years old: 12-30;

Girls over 18 years old: 9-30.

Specific results may differ from laboratory to laboratory, so it is better to focus on the data that is written in your analysis as "normal". If the laboratory did not provide you with such data, you should ask about it yourself, because the reference values \u200b\u200bmay vary depending on the equipment and other factors.

A blood test for iron assumes a dry new test tube in which the blood is placed without a substance that prevents coagulation, because the sample for iron is taken from the blood serum, and to obtain it, it is necessary that the blood stratified.

Increased blood iron

Fe enters the body with food and is transported through all tissues in a complex with protein. The process of iron intake into tissues and the reserve reserve is arranged in such a way that the absorption of excess iron does not occur, that is, ideally, the body excretes as much iron from food as it needs. If there is a lot of iron in the blood, one can assume an accelerated decay of red blood cells, as a result of which all included chemical elements are released into the blood. The reasons for the increased iron content in the blood can be as follows:

Various shapes anemia.
Failure of the mechanism of absorption of iron in the gastrointestinal tract, in which all iron entering food is absorbed into the intestine. This phenomenon is called hemochromatosis.
An excess of iron in the body can be caused by taking medications containing iron or repeated transfusions of someone else's blood.
Poisoning with heavy metals, in particular lead.
Oral contraceptive use.
Items 4 and 5 affect the process of hematopoiesis and especially the inclusion of iron in the composition of erythrocytes, as a result of which an increased iron content in the blood may be observed.
Various liver lesions.

Separately, it is worth talking about the symptoms of an excess of iron in the body. In addition to the fact that an excess of this element complicates the course of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, other signs of a high iron content in the blood may be observed:

Yellowish color of the skin, tongue and mucous membranes;
Increased liver volume;
Weakness;
Heart rate change;
General pallor;
Weight loss;
The emergence age spots on the palms, in the armpits, in the place of old scars.

It is not worth drawing a conclusion about the state of iron in the blood based on symptoms alone, as some of the symptoms of iron deficiency mean the same thing, which means increased iron in the blood. The only reliable fact is the result of the analysis, submitted according to the rules in a verified medical laboratory. To obtain reliable results in the morning before donating blood, physical and emotional stress should be avoided.

How to lower iron in the blood?

The first thing that needs to be done is to change your diet, because all iron comes to our body only with food. For adult men, the daily requirement for iron is defined as 10 mg, for women - 20 mg, because their iron is consumed in large quantities during critical days. Children should consume from 4 to 18 mg of iron per day, and expectant mothers in the second half of pregnancy and the first quarter after childbirth need 30-35 mg of this element.

It is recommended to add dairy products to your diet You can avoid or regulate the increase in iron in the blood by including milk and dairy products in your diet. The fact is that they contain a large amount of calcium, which interferes with the normal absorption of iron, as a result, iron is not retained in the intestines and does not remain in excess.

Vitamins C and B12, on the other hand, improve the absorption of iron and can cause excess iron in the blood. And where these vitamins are contained, we will talk in more detail below.

Another effective method the fight against excess iron in the blood is associated not with nutrition, but with blood loss. The fact is that blood transfusion provokes a constant process of producing "new" blood, which turns out to be healthier and with normal level hemoglobin. Therefore, if according to the results you have increased iron in biochemistry, it's time to become a blood donor.

Another option is also associated with bleeding, but already involves the use of leeches. This method is called hirudotherapy and is used not only to normalize iron levels, but also to improve the overall health of the body.

Phlebotomy is used in cases where the excess iron level in the blood is not caused by serious diseases, but only by improper diet, and it is necessary to normalize the blood without the use of medications.

Low blood iron levels

Our body does not produce iron on its own, all of its supply enters tissues and cells only through nutrition. Therefore, the main component of the cause low level iron in the blood is a malnutrition or malnutrition. This can be an illiterate vegetarianism or, on the contrary, indiscriminate consumption of fatty, iron-poor foods. The transition to a dairy diet also contributes to Fe deficiency, because calcium, which is found in large quantities in dairy products, reduces the iron-binding capacity, as a result of which iron is simply not absorbed in the body.

The following phenomena also contribute to the reduction of iron:

Large consumption of trace elements caused by the rapid growth of the body (for example, when a child is under 2 years old, during puberty in adolescents and during pregnancy and lactation).
Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract leading to iron deficiency anemia (for example, enteritis, gastritis, neoplasms, etc.).
If the iron in the blood is low, the reasons may lie in inflammatory, purulent infections and malignant neoplasms, because they lead to the fact that the cells begin to intensively absorb iron from the blood plasma, as a result of which its deficiency is observed in the blood.
Hemosiderosis.
Kidney pathology.
Cancer or cirrhosis of the liver.
Low iron in the blood in women can be caused by prolonged bleeding during menstruation, bleeding through the nose, gums, or after trauma also provoke iron deficiency.
Other vitamins and trace elements also affect the absorption of iron in the body. As we have already said, calcium in excess interferes with the absorption of iron, while ascorbic acid, on the contrary, promotes it. Therefore, before increasing the iron in the blood, with the help of various medications, it is necessary to adjust your diet, otherwise the treatment may be ineffective.

Lack of iron in the body at first occurs without any symptoms. Then, when the reserves of iron in the liver are exhausted, the person begins to chronically feel weakness, malaise, dizziness and migraines. Already at this stage, one should ask the question of what to do if there is not enough iron in the body.

The next stage in the development of iron deficiency anemia is manifested by weakness in the legs, shortness of breath, painful sensations in the chest, unusual taste preferences (for example, the desire to eat clay or chalk), etc.

How to increase iron in the blood?

Eat few foods high in iron. In order to accurately bring your blood counts back to normal, you need to consume enough vitamins C, B12 and protein. The latter is necessary for the construction of hemoglobin, which will later enter into the composition of erythrocytes and will work to enrich the body with oxygen.

Broccoli is a great product in this case as it contains both iron and ascorbic acid. Season salads with lemon juice and include tomatoes, lentils, sauerkraut, bell peppers, and avocados in your diet.

Low iron in pregnancy can be caused by a deficiency in folate or vitamin B12. Expectant mothers are usually prescribed it as a food supplement in pill form. In general, folic acid is found in sauerkraut and kefir. It has a positive effect on the intestinal flora and is even produced in it by the body on its own.

Iron is found in foods such as buckwheat, mussels, apples, beets, fish, meat, eggs, carrots, apples, broccoli, beans, chickpeas, spinach, etc.

Before increasing the level of iron in the blood, it is necessary to undergo an examination and consult a doctor. Perhaps the deviation is caused by much deeper and more serious processes in comparison with the diet of food.

Iron during pregnancy

It is extremely important for expectant mothers to get enough of this element from food. The fact is that an increasing uterus requires more and more blood circulation, and blood volume increases during pregnancy by 30-40%. As a result, even more iron is needed to meet the body's needs.

Doctors advise pregnant girls to consume about 30 mg of iron per day with food or vitamin supplements. Of course, expectant mothers should discuss all changes in the diet with a doctor, as well as listen to all the advice and prescribed vitamins.

Between 8 and 22 weeks of pregnancy, the body has a maximum need for iron. This is due to the construction of new tissues and the need to enrich them with oxygen. At this time, the risk of getting iron deficiency is very high.

If you still have questions on the topic of the article or have your own ideas on how to lower iron in the blood or increase its content in the body, leave them in the comments below.

But what this means, few know. Why does hemoglobin decrease, iron deficiency appears, and what treatment do doctors recommend in this case?

Our expert answers these questions - hematologist Lyudmila Papusha.

Below the bar

What is anemia? Nine out of ten people will answer: anemia. This concept has taken root so much in everyday life that no one thinks about decoding it. But "not enough" does not mean that there is not enough blood in your body. With its quantity, just everything is in order. Problems with “quality”: in case of anemia, the blood lacks full-fledged erythrocytes - red blood cells. And they contain hemoglobin, which is responsible for the "delivery" of oxygen to every cell of the body's tissues. And if its level is lowered, very unpleasant things happen: organs and tissues experience oxygen starvation, which means they are unable to work at full strength.

Anemia can be a hereditary blood disorder or a temporary "abnormal" condition. For example, when the body is deficient in vitamin B12, folic acid, after an injury with large blood loss, etc. But 90% of anemias are so-called iron deficiency: the name itself suggests that the body lacks iron. Why? Let's try to figure it out.

Both adults and children

With iron deficiency anemia, the balance is disturbed: the loss of iron in the body exceeds its absorption. This happens in children during periods of rapid growth (in the second year of life and adolescence) or due to infection with worms. Anemia is a frequent companion of pregnant and lactating women, whose needs for iron increase dramatically - after all, you have to "share" it with your child.

But the most common cause of iron deficiency in adults is frequent minor bleeding (5–10 ml per day). They can be caused by a variety of diseases, from bleeding ulcers and hemorrhoids to stomach cancer. In women, the main reason for iron deficiency is uterine bleeding (caused by endometriosis or other gynecological diseases) and heavy menstruation, in men - bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract.

Often we ourselves rob ourselves: fasting days, independent diets are a very short path to iron deficiency.

Explicit or Hidden?

Anemia is not the flu: it got infected and got sick. It develops slowly and for a long time the person does not even suspect that "the process has begun." And it is important to catch anemia at the start, then it will be incomparably easier to cope with it. There are many alarming symptoms of this disease, but it is important to know about the main ones - these are the light color of the tongue and gums, brittle nails, and general weakness. In older people, anemia can cause shortness of breath, heart palpitations, cerebrovascular accidents - darkening of the eyes, tinnitus, dizziness.

Anemia is suspected by the doctor when the patient general analysis blood shows reduced level hemoglobin in the blood and a decrease in the number of red blood cells. But the details are always important, you need to get to the bottom of the reasons causing this condition. Especially in the elderly - they often "combine" different types of anemias.

Diagnosis begins with blood tests. For example, to establish iron deficiency anemia, you need to check the level of serum iron in the blood. If you suspect a vitamin B12 deficiency, determine its level in the blood, and if there is a lack of folic acid, its level in blood serum and erythrocytes. But be prepared for the fact that much more tests will be required and you will have to undergo examinations, for example, the stomach and intestines, and the woman will have to be checked by a gynecologist.

Anemia in adults is always a signal for a doctor to start looking for an underlying disease, because, as a rule, anemia is only his fellow traveler.

Iron strife iron

It is considered that the best way raise hemoglobin levels - eat more foods containing iron. Old folk recipes advise: cook liver dishes, eat carrots, beets, walnuts, apples, drink pomegranate juice and you will quickly raise your hemoglobin.

In fact, this is not the case. Because iron is different. Indeed, in many fruits and vegetables, there is a lot of iron in legumes, but it is poorly absorbed. As well as from the liver, where iron compounds are presented in the form of complex proteins, which are not easy for the body to “pick up”. The best absorbed is the so-called heme iron, which is found only in meat and poultry.

But for it to be assimilated, it is also important what the meat is eaten with. For example, if for a side dish pasta or porridge, iron is absorbed much less: cereals contain phytates that bind it. An excellent partner of meat dishes is vegetable side dishes from zucchini, broccoli, onions, herbs (they contain substances that stimulate blood formation). Hinders the absorption of iron and calcium, so dairy and meat products are poorly compatible.

Fats inhibit hematopoiesis, so fatty meats and fish, and even more lard, are excluded. But butter and any vegetable oil - sunflower, olive, corn, pumpkin, etc. - must be on your table. Do not drink tea immediately after meals - tannin binds iron, preventing it from being absorbed. And do not get too carried away with coffee - this drink "flushes" iron from the body.

Vitamins, especially C, help the absorption of iron. It is useful to drink orange and tomato juices every day. And Eat More Fruits and Vegetables: Better Suppliers ascorbic acid - black currant, citrus fruits, kiwi, bell peppers. In winter, when the content of vitamin C in fresh fruits and vegetables drops sharply, sauerkraut and rosehip infusion perfectly replenish it.

In letter and in spirit

If, with repeated blood tests, hemoglobin remains at the same level or continues to decrease, it is necessary to switch to iron supplements. For children, they are available in the form of pills, capsules, syrups (there are also injection solutions). For adults - tablets and injections. There are monocomponent preparations - that is, those that contain only iron (they are usually prescribed to those who suffer from allergies) and combined, where iron is combined with various vitamins that contribute to its better absorption.

The doctor may prescribe injections in cases where the absorption of iron in the intestine is sharply impaired (with inflammatory diseases intestines, severe diarrhea).

But in our country, as a rule, preference is given to pills. Because, on the one hand, iron "in the injection" is absorbed worse, on the other (paradox!) - you can go too far with its dosage. Which is also not good. Because iron, once it enters the body, itself is not removed from it, but lies in the so-called "depot". Excess iron storage can trigger the development of diabetes mellitus, severe liver disease, heart disease, and even breast cancer.

Make no mistakes!

For pills to work well, it is important to take them correctly. Best of all - in the second half of the day, it is at this time that iron is absorbed more actively. And no later than an hour before a meal - once in the intestine, it should be absorbed without contact with food.

The duration of treatment depends on the severity of the anemia. During the period of taking iron-containing drugs, the stool may be dark in color - this is normal. But sometimes there are constipation or liquefied stools, nausea appears. If these symptoms persist for a long time, it is necessary to replace the drug or reduce the dose. If you have contracted acute respiratory viral infections or influenza with anemia, then you should not take iron supplements during an illness.

After a month of treatment, a control blood test is done. If during this time the hemoglobin level has not increased or continues to decrease, the doctor suspends treatment and sends the patient for a new examination, since the diagnosis needs to be clarified - perhaps the anemia is caused not by iron deficiency, but by other reasons.

If you smoke a lot, you may be anemic, despite the fact that the blood test shows that the hemoglobin level is normal. And this happens because carbon monoxide contained in cigarettes combines with hemoglobin and its special form is formed. Such hemoglobin is unable to carry oxygen. And in order to make up for its lack, the body increases the production of hemoglobin, its level is high, but there is little sense from this. Therefore, abroad, for example, the hemoglobin level in smokers is calculated depending on the number of cigarettes smoked per day.