Are You at Risk for Anemia?

Last Updated: Oct. 1, 2003

An iron deficit is not necessarily due to poor eating habits. An otherwise balanced diet may not supply ample iron to women in one of the following groups: menstruating, dieting, pregnant, vegetarian and women who do not eat red meat, as well as women who have trouble absorbing iron from their foods.

Menstruation: The monthly blood loss that occurs during menstruation causes the body to need increased iron. Women who experience heavy bleeding should pay special attention to their iron intake.

Dieting: Since the average American women’s diet does not reach the RDA for iron, dieting and decreasing food intake will make it even more difficult to reach the recommended RDA for iron.

Pregnancy: Pregnant women are at an increased risk for developing anemia, because the iron stores are placed at an increased demand caused by the higher blood volume and demands of the fetus and placenta.

Vegetarians: Vegetarians and people who do not consume red meat are more apt to be iron deficient. Meat sources of iron, also called heme-iron, such as pork, beef and lamb, are among the richest sources of iron. Heme-sources of iron are best absorbed and utilized by the body. Non-heme-sources such as the iron in beans, grains and vegetables are not nearly as well absorbed by the body as iron from meat sources.

Absorption: The capacity of the body to absorb iron from the diet is a crucial factor for developing iron stores and maintaining functional iron. When the body has trouble absorbing iron from foods or when iron is lost through cellular breakdown, iron deficiency anemia is likely to occur.

How is anemia diagnosed?
Anemia is diagnosed by a blood test, either by a fingerstick in a physician’s office, or by a blood test done in a laboratory.

What are the consequences of being anemic?
Mild anemia does not have any significant long-term consequences. However, as the anemia becomes more severe, there are medical problems which may arise.

The most serious of these involve the heart. Severe anemia may cause a condition called high-output heart failure, where the heart must work harder to provide enough oxygen to the brain and other internal organs. The heart beats faster and increases the amount of blood that is delivered per minute. When this condition occurs in individuals that have existing heart disease, the heart may be unable to keep up with this increased demand, and symptoms of heart failure such as difficulty breathing and leg swelling may occur.

Individuals who have coronary artery disease, or narrowing of the blood vessels supplying blood to the heart, may develop symptoms of angina, the pain associated with an insufficient blood flow to the heart muscle. Depending on the age of the woman and the degree of coronary artery disease, angina may develop with even mild anemia. In severe cases, the heart muscle may be permanently injured, and the woman will be at increased risk for a heart attack.

How can developing anemia be prevented?
Iron-deficiency anemia can be prevented by control of bleeding and restoration of adequate iron supplies by iron supplements. Bleeding caused by uterine abnormalities such as fibroids is often controlled with the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents (such as ibuprofen or naproxyn) or oral contraceptives.

Mild bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract is controlled either by acid-blocking agents which allow ulcers to heal, or, if the bleeding is from polyps in the colon, by removal of the polyps.

If a person is treated for anemia, what are the chances it will reoccur?
The answer to this question depends on the cause of the anemia. If iron-deficiency anemia is treated by stopping the source of the blood loss, the anemia should resolve once the iron stores are repleted, and should not reoccur unless another site of bleeding arises. Pernicious anemia, caused by B12 deficiency, generally must be treated with B12 injections, and will reoccur if the B12 treatment is stopped. Inherited anemias, such as thalassemia, are lifelong conditions as well.

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health

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