The Science of Iron Deficiency 🧬
Everything you need to know.
Iron Deficiency in Adults: A Review
Study Details
This new review summarised the available scientific literature on iron deficient including symptoms, risk factors and prevalence 🔍
Key Findings
Here are the key findings ⬇️
Definitions 📝
⚠️ Iron deficiency = low iron stores with/without anaemia
🚨 Iron-deficiency anaemia = low haemoglobin due to low iron stores
Prevalence 🌎
👉 Iron deficiency affects ~ 2 billion people worldwide
🇺🇸 Affecting 14% of adults in the US
👉 Iron-deficiency anaemia affects ~ 1.2 billion
🇺🇸 Affecting 10 million people in the US
Symptoms 🔍
🥱 Fatigue
😠 Irritability
😔 Depression
🙄 Difficulty concentrating
🦵 Restless legs syndrome
🦷 Pica
😮💨 Dyspnea “shortness of breath”
😵💫 Lightheadedness
👎 Exercise intolerance
🫀 Worsening heart failure
(individuals may also be asymptomatic)
Prevalence of symptoms depend on age, comorbidities (e.g. chronic kidney disease, heart failure), and severity and rate of development of iron deficiency‼️
Common Causes ⚠️
🩸 Bleeding (menstrual, gastrointestinal)
⛔️ Impaired iron absorption (atrophic gastritis, celiac disease, bariatric surgical procedures)
🌱 Inadequate dietary iron intake
🤰 Pregnancy
Prevalence in Women 🙋♀️
👉 ~38% of nonpregnant, reproductive-age women have iron deficiency without anaemia
👉 ~13% have iron-deficiency anaemia
👉 During the third trimester of pregnancy, iron deficiency affects up to 84% of pregnant women
(based on data from high-income countries)
Additional Risk Factors 🚨
💊 Use of NSAIDs
🔥 Inflammatory bowel disease
🦠 Chronic inflammatory conditions (e.g. cancer)
Testing 🔬
🩺 Recommended for patients with anemia and/or symptoms of iron deficiency
🥼 And for those with risk factors such as heavy menstrual bleeding, pregnancy, or IBD
Diagnosis 📊
Iron deficiency is diagnosed by low serum ferritin (typically < 30 ng/mL) in individuals without inflammatory conditions 📉
or
by transferrin saturation (iron/total iron binding capacity × 100) less than 20% 📉
Treatment ✅
Oral iron (ferrous sulfate 325 mg/d or on alternate days) is typically first-line therapy 💊
Intravenous iron is indicated for patients with oral iron intolerance, poor absorption, chronic inflammatory conditions, ongoing blood loss, and during pregnancy 💉
Consuming quality food sources of iron (e.g. red meats, seafood) can be a useful preventative or adjunct strategy for treatment 🥩🐟
Conclusion
Iron is a key nutrient for a healthy life and for optimal performance ⚡️
Due to the prevalence of iron deficiency, it may well be worth getting your levels tested 🩸