Understanding iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia
Iron deficiency (ID) is a condition in which the body does not have as much iron as it needs. Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) is a more severe form of ID where the lack of iron stops the body from making enough of a protein called haemoglobin.
What is ID/IDA?
The iron from food (e.g. in meat or dark-green leafy vegetables) is used to build a protein called haemoglobin, which is an important part of red blood cells. Red blood cells use haemoglobin to carry oxygen to all of the body’s organs and tissues.
Having ID/IDA means that the body has too little iron available to make as much haemoglobin and as many new red blood cells as normal. The red blood cell level will start to drop because the old ones cannot be replaced quickly enough, and the new red blood cells that are made will be smaller than usual. This means that less oxygen can be carried, causing the symptoms you may be feeling.
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How common is ID/IDA?
ID and IDA are both very common.1,2
ID affects about 1 in 4 people across the world2
IDA affects about 1 in 6 people across the world2
The body is normally good at balancing the amount of iron it takes in from food with the amount it loses, although sometimes it can go out of balance. Some of the most common reasons this happens are:3,4
Diets low in iron – there is not enough iron in the diet for the body to replace what it is normally losing
Heavy periods – the body loses iron each month that it finds hard to replace
Pregnancy – the body makes more blood for itself and the baby, and the baby needs extra iron to grow
Taking certain medicines such as ibuprofen or aspirin
Other conditions that can cause ID/IDA include:3,5
- Inflammatory bowel disease – gut inflammation can cause blood loss and can reduce the amount of iron that can be absorbed
- Stomach ulcers – the body can lose iron due to bleeding from the ulcer
- Chronic kidney disease – the body may not absorb or retain as much iron as usual, and iron can also be lost during haemodialysis
How can FERACCRU® help?
FERACCRU® is a capsule containing iron that is used to treat adults with iron deficiency. The capsules give the body extra iron, with the aim of making more haemoglobin to raise iron levels back to normal.
Normalising your iron stores should improve any symptoms you may have been experiencing relating to ID/IDA, allowing you to do everyday activities to help you feel like yourself again.
LEARN ABOUT WHAT TO EXPECT WITH FERACCRU®
REFERENCES
- Camaschella C. Hematology Am Soc Hematol Educ Program 2015;2015:8–13.
- Lopez A, et al. Lancet 2016;387(10021):907–916.
- Mayo Clinic. Iron deficiency anemia. Available at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/iron-deficiency-anemia/symptoms-causes/syc-20355034. Accessed December 2021.
- NHS. Iron deficiency anaemia. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/iron-deficiency-anaemia/. Accessed December 2021.
- American Society of Hematology. Iron deficiency anemia. Available at: https://www.hematology.org/education/patients/anemia/iron-deficiency. Accessed December 2021.
