Premise
If all possible causes of iron deficiency (iron deficiency in the body) are considered, a deficiency occurring in adult men and postmenopausal women should be considered a sign of gastrointestinal loss until proven otherwise.
Symptoms
The symptoms of iron deficiency anemia change over time. Initially, these may be mild as the body engages in compensatory mechanisms and supplies itself from the iron stores present in the form of ferritin. When the iron deficiency continues, the manifestations tend to intensify.
The most common symptoms of iron deficiency anemia are:
- Asthenia (tiredness and easy fatigue);
- Headache, dizziness (especially when passing from lying to standing position);
- Shortness of breath and shortness of breath (exertional dyspnea);
- Pallor;
- Irritability, insomnia and difficulty concentrating
- Burns in the tongue due to atrophy (degeneration) of its mucous lining, with a picture of "atrophic glossitis (inflammation of the tongue)";
- Fissures or fissures (small or large cuts) at the corners of the mouth, with the picture of "angular cheilitis";
- Atrophy of the mucous membrane of the esophagus and stomach with dysphagia (difficulty swallowing);
- Intestinal malabsorption;
- Dryness and brittleness of hair and nails which, in its extreme degrees, configures the picture of the coilonychia (concavity of the nail surface and its fissures);
- Chest pain;
- Cold hands and feet
- Hair loss
- Acceleration of the heartbeat;
- Burning in the throat;
- Poor appetite;
- Tingling in the legs.
Rarely, due to anemia, folds of mucous membrane may appear in the esophagus, to characterize, together with anemia and atrophic glossitis, what is called Plummer-Vinson syndrome.
Sometimes, the spleen is enlarged and palpable (splenomegaly), but it is a rare occurrence.
In addition to the common signs and symptoms of anemia, in case of severe iron deficiency, there are some particular symptoms, such as pica, that is a compulsive desire to eat substances (eg ice, dirt, paints).
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of "iron deficiency anemia is based on:
- Clinic (the main symptoms);
- Laboratory tests (haematological and biochemical);
- Bone marrow aspiration through a needle for cytological examination;
- Specific tests to reveal gastrointestinal bleeding.
