Iron deficiency anemia is a common situation, but not always worrying. Iron deficiency mainly affects women of childbearing age, because of the sometimes very heavy periods. It is easily corrected by dietary measures, or even by the use of hormonal contraceptives (to reduce the flow of periods), more rarely by the intake of medicated iron.

Worrisome cases of anemia are those which set in gradually due to chronic bleeding (often of digestive origin), in an elderly person for example. Anemia then compromises the oxygenation of the tissues by reducing the uptake and transport of oxygen. In these cases, it is the symptom of a condition that must be diagnosed and treated.

Taking iron “blind” is not recommended, except in a situation of proven dietary deficiency (for example, due to a vegan diet).

Marc Zaffran, M.D. (Martin Winckler)