Blood:
Blood is made up of a fluid called plasma which contains:
- Red blood cells - which take oxygen around the body.
- White blood cells - which are the ‘policemen’ of our body, and defend the body from infection.
- Platelets - which help the blood to clot if there is a bleeding from injury.
- Proteins - and other chemicals that have various functions.
Red blood cells are made in the bone marrow - millions are released into the bloodstream each day. A constant new supply of red blood cells is needed to replace old cells that break down. Red blood cells contain a chemical called haemoglobin. Haemoglobin binds to oxygen and takes oxygen from the lungs to all parts of the body.
To make red blood cells and haemoglobin constantly, you need a healthy bone marrow and nutrients such as iron and certain vitamins which we obtain from food.
Anaemia
Anaemia is a very common condition where the number of red blood cells or the amount of haemoglobin in red blood cells is less than normal.
What are the symptoms of anaemia?
- Common symptoms are due to the reduced amount of oxygen in the body. These include tiredness, having little energy (lethargy), feeling faint and becoming easily breathless.
- Less common symptoms include headaches, a 'thumping heart' (palpitations), altered taste, and ringing in the ears (tinnitus).
- You may look pale.
- Various other symptoms may develop, depending on the underlying cause of the anaemia.
What are the causes of anaemia?
Iron deficiency anaemia is the most common form of anaemia. Iron is important in the formation of haemoglobin so a reduced iron level causes a reduced haemoglobin level in the blood. Iron is present in many foods that we eat, such as red meat, fish and leafy green vegetables. If someone’s diet does not contain enough of these foods, they can develop iron deficiency anaemia. It can also be caused if the body does not absorb iron from the food that we eat for example, this can occur if someone drinks a lot of cow’s milk as this blocks iron absorption.
How is iron deficiency anaemia diagnosed?
Iron deficiency anaemia is usually diagnosed using blood tests. The doctors will take a small sample of blood and send it to a laboratory. The test will count the number of each type of blood cell
present in a sample (full blood count) and then check how much haemoglobin is contained in the red blood cells.
They may also carry out other tests to see how much iron is contained in the haemoglobin. All of these test results provide information to the doctor about whether anaemia is present and if so, how severe it is.
If a child has anaemia, further tests may be needed to work out what is causing the anaemia if iron deficiency anaemia is unlikely. Rarely, a sample of bone marrow may be taken to see if red blood cells are forming as they should.
How is iron deficiency anaemia treated?
The most common treatment is a course of iron tablets or liquid to be taken by mouth. Although iron is best absorbed on an empty stomach, taking it this way commonly causes a feeling of sickness. This can be prevented by taking it with some food and vitamin C (for example in orange juice) which increases the absorption. Iron absorption is reduced by milk, tea, coffee and certain medicines, which should not be taken at the same time. Children taking iron supplements will have black stools. There are ways to increase the amount of iron in the diet as well as medication. Foods rich in iron
include:
- Meat
- Beans and lentils
- Eggs
- Fish
- Apricots, prunes and raisins
- Leafy green vegetables
- Oatmeal
What happens next?
Iron deficiency anaemia is usually short lived with haemoglobin levels usually returning to normal within a month or two. Doctors will usually advise continuing to give your child iron medication for a few more months to make sure that blood levels remain stable and the body builds up a ‘store’ of iron for the future.
