According to the World Health Organization, iron deficiency is the number one nutritional disorder in the world — as much as eighty percent of the world population may be iron deficient. As much as thirty percent of the world population may have anemia resulting from iron deficiency.
Iron deficiency usually develops gradually. It starts in the body with a negative iron balance — when your iron intake doesn’t meet the body’s daily need for iron. At first, your body’s stores of iron are depleted but the hemoglobin level in your blood stays the same. Anemia develops when the body’s iron stores and blood iron levels are both deficient.
Who is at greatest risk for iron deficiency?
- Women of childbearing age
- Pregnant women
- Pre-term and low birth weight infants
- Older infants and toddlers
- Teenage girls
- Women who have very heavy menstrual periods
- Individuals with kidney failure, especially those on dialysis
- Individuals with gastrointestinal disorders (like celiac disease and Crohn’s disease) that may inhibit iron absorption
Adult men and post-menopausal women are at a low risk for developing iron deficiency.
Pregnant women need approximately twice as much iron as non-pregnant women do. Why? A pregnant woman has an increased blood volume and is meeting iron needs for herself and her baby. With expected blood loss during delivery, the extra iron is also useful. The U.S. recommended daily allowance for iron for pregnant women is 27 milligrams per day. According to surveys, more than half of all pregnant women get less than they need — approximately half of what is recommended.
Signs of iron deficiency anemia include:
- Feelings of fatigue and weakness
- Decreased performance at work or in school
- Slow cognitive development during childhood
- Slow social development during childhood
- Difficulty maintaining body temperature
- Decreased immune system function (which can increase your chances of developing an infection)
- Inflammation of the tongue (known as glossitis)
A deficiency of vitamin A can result in an apparent iron deficiency — vitamin A helps mobilize iron from the body’s storage sites. When you don’t have enough vitamin A, your body is limited in its ability to use stored iron. It may seem like you have an iron deficiency, but the lack of vitamin A is the real problem.