Iron Deficiency Symptoms: Everything You Wonder About Iron Deficiency

by Abbas Jahangir · November 26, 2021

Iron element, which plays a role in various tasks such as oxygen transport, energy production and protein synthesis in the body, has a very important place in the realization of many metabolic activities. The occurrence of iron deficiency in the body due to bleeding in the digestive system or malnutrition leads to disruptions in the metabolic functioning of the body and serious disorders such as anemia.

Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in the world, and it is a problem that has serious consequences especially in children in developmental age and in underdeveloped countries.

What are the Symptoms of Iron Deficiency? Here Are Those Signs!

With iron deficiency, the skin becomes pale and tired, and problems such as hair loss and skin dryness increase.
A deformity called “spoon nail” may develop in the nails.
Weakness in the musculoskeletal system and related complaints of fatigue and fatigue are seen.
The amount of blood pumped by the heart in a single beat increases, causing the heart to beat faster than necessary and a palpitation feeling.
Various feeding problems may develop, such as loss of appetite, difficulty in swallowing, and the desire to eat foreign bodies in infants.
The immune system weakens and accordingly the person becomes much more vulnerable to infections.
Especially in the initial stages, iron deficiency causes headache problem and a great decrease in quality of life.
Fainting may occur due to fatigue.
In the following periods, especially in children, various problems such as sleep disorders, attention deficit, learning difficulties, decrease in perception functions, slowdown in neural and mental development and behavioral disorders occur.

These symptoms are clinical signs of iron deficiency and the definitive diagnosis can only be made by the doctor as a result of laboratory findings.

What Causes Iron Deficiency?

Iron deficiency in childhood develops due to the increased need for iron intake due to rapid growth.
Children who are not fed at regular intervals and do not consume enough of the necessary food groups at meals are seen to have iron deficiency problems both in childhood and adulthood, and people who are not treated effectively have a high risk of encountering serious health problems such as anemia.
Low birth weight and high consumption of cow’s milk are also among the causes that affect iron retention in the body.
In particular, babies born with a weight less than 2500 grams should be tested for iron deficiency at regular intervals, avoiding excessive consumption of cow’s milk even in childhood, and consuming foods that are good for iron deficiency.
Babies born with a healthy birth weight may also have an iron deficiency problem if they consume excessive cow’s milk during childhood.
Balanced nutrition recommendations should be taken into account, especially for childhood, and healthy growth and development controls of children should not be neglected.
The problem of iron deficiency, which occurs in people who do not have low birth weight and irregular eating habits, brings to mind the suspicion of bleeding.
Bleeding in the digestive system leads to loss of iron mineral with blood and severe iron deficiency.
Menstrual bleeding in girls at the beginning of puberty is also among the conditions that can cause iron deficiency and even result in iron deficiency anemia.

What Is Good For Iron Deficiency? Foods High in Iron

Meat and Meat Products: Meat and meat products are the leading foods rich in iron. It is recommended to consume meat and meat products, which are a very rich food group in terms of many vitamins and minerals, especially with green leafy vegetables, which are rich in vitamin C, thus supporting iron absorption.
Egg: Egg , which has the healthiest protein content after breast milk, is another food that is rich in iron and must be consumed. In particular, it can be said that boiled eggs protect their mineral and vitamin content and are a very useful source for iron supplementation.
Dried Legumes: Dried legumes such as chickpeas, dried beans and kidney beans, which contain 4 mg of iron in 1 serving, are also among the foods that should be consumed together with iron deficiency treatment.
Dried Fruits: Dried fruits , which are extremely rich in iron and consumed to prevent iron deficiency, also strengthen the immune system, thanks to the intense minerals and vitamins they contain. Raisins, 100 grams of which are enough to meet 23% of the daily iron need, is one of the foods that should be consumed especially in childhood due to its effects such as increasing concentration and supporting physical and mental development.
Cereals: Cereals such as oats, rice, rye, wheat, barley and corn contain high levels of iron and are another food group that is much more efficient, especially when consumed with dried legumes.
Green Leafy Vegetables: Green leafy vegetables, which protect the digestive system with their intense fiber content and also have a very rich content in iron, are among the answers to the question of what to eat for iron deficiency. At the same time, vegetables such as spinach, lettuce, mint, arugula and parsley, which contain intense vitamin C, facilitate iron absorption and provide a much more effective treatment.
Molasses: Molasses , which contains 1 mg of iron in 1 teaspoon, is a complete source of iron for people who are suitable for consuming molasses. You can safely consume homemade molasses prepared from fruits rich in vitamins in the season.
Vitamin C: For the treatment of iron deficiency, adequate vitamin C intake is as important as consuming iron-rich foods. It is recommended that vitamin C, which plays an extremely important role in the absorption of iron in consumed foods, should be taken naturally as much as possible.

What Causes Iron Deficiency? What are the harms?

Iron deficiency is a problem that prevents the healthy development of children, especially in the developmental period, and can cause various disorders in adulthood.
This problem, which slows down both mental and physical development and causes an unhealthy childhood, also causes the immune system to weaken and makes the person vulnerable to various infections.
In order to be protected from infectious diseases that have become extremely common and can have fatal consequences, it is necessary to strengthen the immune system, and thus to eliminate iron deficiency.
At the same time, iron deficiency, which causes problems such as concentration impairment and difficulty in perception, can cause failure in school life and various psychological problems, especially in children.
If iron deficiency is not treated, it is a health problem that progresses rapidly and can have much more serious consequences.
This problem, which leads to a decrease in the amount of hemoglobin in the blood and the development of anemia as a result, must be treated with professional methods and the blood iron level should be controlled after the treatment.

How to Fix Iron Deficiency?

In order to eliminate iron deficiency, it is necessary to enrich the nutritional content, avoid harmful food consumption and carefully control the symptoms.
The iron deficiency medicine prescribed by the doctor should be used regularly throughout the planned treatment and the drug treatment should be supported with herbal solution methods for iron deficiency.
You should follow the nutritional recommendations given by your doctor and avoid consuming foods that prevent iron absorption, such as black tea.
Iron deficiency should be controlled by the consumption of herbal tea in people who have difficulty in restricting their tea consumption, and teas such as dandelion and lemon balm should be preferred according to the doctor’s recommendation.
It is very important to regulate and maintain nutritional habits in eliminating iron deficiency.
However, in order to treat the problem effectively, the underlying cause should be determined and the treatment should be planned to eliminate this cause.
Therefore, in order to eliminate iron deficiency, it is necessary to apply to a health institution and to apply the planned treatment methods after the specialist doctor’s control.