Iron deficiency anemia

For a lay person:

Iron deficiency anaemia happens when the body does not have enough iron to make healthy red blood cells, so less oxygen reaches the tissues. It is common in women with heavy periods, during pregnancy, in young children and in people with blood loss from the gut. It causes tiredness, pale skin and breathlessness.

For a trained medical person:

A microcytic hypochromic anaemia from inadequate iron intake or absorption, increased demand or chronic blood loss (menstrual, gastrointestinal). Diagnosis is by full blood count with low ferritin; in men and postmenopausal women, gastrointestinal investigation for a bleeding source, including coeliac screening, is needed. Treatment is oral iron replacement, with intravenous iron when oral iron fails or is not tolerated, plus correction of the underlying cause.

In Chinese medicine:

Liu and Tseng's textbook differentiates this condition into these patterns: Qi and Blood Deficiency; Spleen and Stomach Deficiency. Treatment follows the pattern a patient presents with, not the Western diagnosis alone.

When to get help: See a doctor for unexplained anaemia, especially with black or bloody stools, weight loss or heavy bleeding, and get urgent care for chest pain, fainting or severe breathlessness. The cause should be found before relying on herbs or supplements.