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On a beautiful Sunday, while playing a volunteer
for a community based organization collecting blood for the Thallasaemic
patients on The Mall, Murree. My observation revealed a lot of young
blood ready to jump out and submerge into the bodies of Thallasaemic
children. This willingness of the youth in the shape of a long que waiting
to donate blood, irrespective of gender, cast and creed was very heartening
but at the same time raising question that why do Thallasaemic children,
delivering women, accident victims and all other in need of blood always
craves for it? As the day proceeded, my query got addressed as I witnessed a huge number of ‘wanna be’ blood donors being deferred i.e. not able to donate. In 95% of the cases, reason being anaemic i.e. low haemoglobin levels. The shift of expressions from enthusiasm to puzzlement on their faces ignited me to explore the topic. Anemia, the word originated from Greek language “An-Haima” meaning without blood. Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is the most common type of anemia, and is also known as sideropenic anemia. Iron deficiency anemia occurs when the dietary intake or absorption of iron is insufficient due to which haemoglobin cannot be formed The principal cause of iron deficiency anemia is loss of blood specially in premenopausal women during menses, poor absorption of iron by the body, parasitic infections (such as hookworms), chronic inflammations, deficiencies of other micronutrients (like folic acid), Malaria etc. Iron deficiency anemia is the final stage of iron deficiency. When the body has sufficient iron to meet its needs (functional iron), the remainder is stored for later use in the bone marrow, liver, and spleen. Iron deficiency ranges from iron depletion, which yields little physiological damage, to iron deficiency anemia, which can affect the function of numerous organ systems. Iron depletion causes the amount of stored iron to be reduced, but has no effect on the functional iron. However, a person with no stored iron has no reserves to use if the body requires more iron. In essence, the amount of iron absorbed by the body is not adequate for growth and development or to replace the amount lost. The unfortunate victims of the deficiency can experience fainting or feeling faint, depression, breathlessness, tingling, numbness, burning sensations, sleep apnea, missed menstrual cycle, heavy menstrual period, slow social development, sore or swollen tongue, Koilonychia (spoon-shaped nails) or nails that are weak or brittle and poor appetite. Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is one of the most severe nutritional deficiencies in the world. It is a condition where one has inadequate amounts of iron to meet body demands such as during periods of rapid growth and pregnancy. The WHO estimates that as many as 4-5 billion people may be iron deficient and as many as 2 billion people are anaemic, mainly due to iron deficiency. In developing countries, iron deficiency is frequently exacerbated by malaria and hookworm infections. Iron deficiency anemia is known to impair psychomotor development, affects physical activity and work capacity, lowers resistance to infection and adversely affects birth outcomes and infant and maternal survival. This public health problem affects all age groups to varying degrees. Iron deficiency also increases a child's susceptibility to lead (Pb)
toxicity. When iron is unavailable, lead (Pb) replaces iron in the
absorptive pathway. A healthy iron status largely prevents lead absorption.
Severe chronic iron deficiency anemia in children has been reported
to cause irreversible harm to their learning capability. |
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