What happens if iron deficiency goes untreated

Large amounts of these foods and drinks make it harder for your body to absorb iron. You might be referred to a specialist dietitian if you're finding it hard to include iron in your diet. In pregnancy, iron deficiency anaemia is most often caused by a lack of iron in your diet. Heavy periods and pregnancy are very common causes of iron deficiency anaemia.

Heavy periods can be treated with medicine. For men and for women whose periods have stopped, bleeding in the stomach and intestines is the most common cause of iron deficiency anaemia. This can be caused by:. Any other conditions or actions that cause blood loss could also lead to iron deficiency anaemia.

Other types of anaemia can be caused by a lack of vitamin B12 or folate in the body — read more about vitamin B12 and folate deficiency anaemia. Many people with iron deficiency anaemia only have a few symptoms. The severity of the symptoms largely depends on how quickly anaemia develops. You may notice symptoms immediately, or they may develop gradually if your anaemia is caused by a long-term problem, such as a stomach ulcer.

See your GP if you experience symptoms of iron deficiency anaemia. They should be able to diagnose the condition using a simple blood test. Read more about diagnosing iron deficiency anaemia. There are many things that can lead to a lack of iron in the body. In men and post-menopausal women, the most common cause is bleeding in the stomach and intestines. This can be caused by a stomach ulcer, stomach cancer , bowel cancer , or by taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAIDs.

In women of reproductive age, heavy periods and pregnancy are the most common causes of iron deficiency anaemia as your body needs extra iron for your baby during pregnancy. Unless you're pregnant, it's rare for iron deficiency anaemia to be caused just by a lack of iron in your diet. However, if you do lack dietary iron, it may mean you're more likely to develop anaemia than if you have one of the problems mentioned above.

Read more about the causes of iron deficiency anaemia. Treatment for iron deficiency anaemia involves taking iron supplements to boost the low levels of iron in your body. This is usually effective, and the condition rarely causes long-term problems. You'll need to be monitored every few months to check the treatment is working and your iron levels have returned to normal. The underlying cause will need to be treated so you don't get anaemia again. Increasing the amount of iron in your diet may also be recommended.

Read more about treating iron deficiency anaemia. If iron deficiency anaemia is left untreated, it can make you more susceptible to illness and infection, as a lack of iron affects the body's natural defence system the immune system. Severe iron deficiency anaemia may increase your risk of developing complications that affect the heart or lungs, such as an abnormally fast heartbeat tachycardia or heart failure , where your heart is unable to pump enough blood around your body at the right pressure.

Pregnant women with severe or untreated anaemia also have a higher risk of complications before and after birth. Read more about the complications of iron deficiency anaemia. Iron deficiency anaemia occurs when the body doesn't have enough iron, leading to the decreased production of red blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen around the body. A lack of iron can be caused by several factors. Some of the most common causes of iron deficiency anaemia are outlined below.

Usually, only women with heavy periods develop iron deficiency anaemia. If you have heavy bleeding over several consecutive menstrual cycles, it's known as menorrhagia. This is because your body needs extra iron to ensure your baby has a sufficient blood supply and receives necessary oxygen and nutrients. Some pregnant women require an iron supplement, while others may need to increase the amount of iron in their diet.

Read more about vitamins and minerals in pregnancy. The gastrointestinal tract is the part of the body responsible for digesting food. It contains the stomach and intestines. Bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract is the most common cause of iron deficiency anaemia in men, as well as women who've experienced the menopause when monthly periods stop. Most people with gastrointestinal bleeding don't notice any obvious blood in their stools and don't experience any changes in their bowel habits.

If your GP thinks your medication is causing gastrointestinal bleeding, they can prescribe a less harmful medicine. However, don't stop taking a medicine you've been prescribed unless your GP advises you to.

The acid in your stomach, which helps your body digest food, can sometimes eat into your stomach lining. When this happens, the acid forms an open sore an ulcer. This is also known as a stomach ulcer or a peptic ulcer.

Stomach ulcers can cause the stomach lining to bleed, which can lead to anaemia. In some cases, the bleeding can cause you to vomit blood or pass blood in your stools.

However, if the ulcer bleeds slowly, you may not have any symptoms. In a few cases, gastrointestinal bleeding can be caused by cancer, usually stomach cancer or bowel cancer.

If your GP suspects cancer, you'll be referred to a gastroenterologist a specialist in treating digestive conditions for a more thorough examination. This means that if cancer is found, it can be treated as quickly as possible. If you're 60 years old or over and have iron deficiency anaemia, your GP should refer you to a specialist to rule out bowel cancer. Your appointment with the specialist should be within two weeks of your GP referring you. Gastrointestinal bleeding can also be caused by a condition called angiodysplasia.

This is the result of abnormal, fragile superficial blood vessels in the gastrointestinal tract, which can cause bleeding. People with chronic kidney disease CKD often develop iron deficiency anaemia. Your doctor may ask about your medical history and any symptoms you are experiencing, and do a physical exam to look for any of the following signs that may help diagnose iron-deficiency anemia: Check for bleeding. Look to see whether your tongue, nails, or inner lining of your eyelids are pale.

Check your fingernails to see whether they are pale or brittle, and how quickly they refill with blood. Listen to your heart for rapid or irregular heartbeats. Listen to your lungs for rapid or uneven breathing. Feel your abdomen to check the size of your liver and spleen. Blood tests. Based on results from blood tests to screen for iron-deficiency anemia, your doctor may order the following blood tests to diagnose iron-deficiency anemia: Complete blood count CBC to see if you have lower than normal red blood cell counts, hemoglobin or hematocrit levels, or mean corpuscular volume MCV that would suggest anemia.

Iron to measure the amount of iron in your blood. The level of iron in your blood may be normal even if the total amount of iron in your body is low. For this reason, other iron tests are also done.

Ferritin is a protein that helps store iron in your body. Reticulocyte count to see if you have lower than normal numbers of these very young red blood cells. Peripheral smear to see if your red blood cells look smaller and paler than normal when viewed under a microscope. Different tests help your doctor diagnose iron-deficiency anemia. Normal levels are 40 to for men and 20 to for women. More testing may be needed to rule out other types of anemia.

Tests for gastrointestinal bleeding. Fecal occult blood test to check for blood in the stool. Blood in the stool would suggest bleeding in the GI tract and may require further testing. Upper endoscopy to look for bleeding in the esophagus, stomach, and the first part of the small intestine.

A tube with a tiny camera is inserted through your mouth down to your stomach and upper small intestine to view the lining of your upper digestive tract. Colonoscopy to look for bleeding or other abnormalities, such as growths or cancer of the lining of the colon.

For this test, a small camera is inserted into the colon under sedation to view the colon directly. What if my doctor thinks something else is causing my iron-deficiency anemia? To find the cause of your iron-deficiency anemia, your doctor may order additional tests: Inflammation marker tests may help your doctor determine if inflammation is causing iron-deficiency anemia.

Blood tests allow your doctor to look at the amount of other nutrients in your blood, such as vitamin B12 or folic acid. Visit our Pernicious Anemia Health Topic to learn more.

Bone marrow tests help your doctor see whether your bone marrow is healthy and making new blood cells. Visit our Aplastic Anemia Health Topic to learn more. Return to Causes to review how blood loss, not consuming the recommended amount of iron, and medical conditions can lead to iron-deficiency anemia. Return to Risk Factors to review family history, lifestyle, unhealthy environments, or other factors that increase your risk of developing iron-deficiency anemia.

Return to Signs, Symptoms, and Complications to review common signs and symptoms of iron-deficiency anemia. Return to Screening and Prevention to review tests to screen for and strategies to prevent iron-deficiency anemia. Treatment - Iron-Deficiency Anemia.

Iron supplements. If iron supplements alone are not able to replenish the levels of iron in your body, your doctor may recommend a procedure, including: Iron therapy, or intravenous IV iron. This is sometimes used to deliver iron through a blood vessel to increase iron levels in the blood.

One benefit of IV iron is that it often takes only one or a few sessions to replenish the amount of iron in your body. People with severe iron-deficiency anemia or who have chronic conditions such as kidney disease or celiac disease may be more likely to receive IV iron. You may experience vomiting, headache, or other side effects right after the IV iron, but these usually go away within a day or two.

Red blood cell transfusions. These may be used for people with severe iron-deficiency anemia to quickly increase the amount of red blood cells and iron in the blood. Your doctor may recommend this if you have serious complications of iron-deficiency anemia, such as chest pain.

Surgery, upper endoscopy or colonoscopy, to stop bleeding. Healthy lifestyle changes. To help you meet your daily recommended iron levels, your doctor may recommend that you: Adopt healthy lifestyle changes such as heart-healthy eating patterns. Increase your daily intake of iron-rich foods to help treat your iron-deficiency anemia. See Prevention strategies to learn about foods that are high in iron.

It is important to know that increasing your intake of iron may not be enough to replace the iron your body normally stores but has used up. Increase your intake of vitamin C to help your body absorb iron.

Avoid drinking black tea, which reduces iron absorption. Other treatments. Living With will discuss what your doctor may recommend, including lifelong lifestyle changes and medical care to prevent your condition from recurring, getting worse, or causing complications.

Research for Your Health will discuss how we are using current research and advancing research to treat people with iron-deficiency anemia. Participate in NHLBI Clinical Trials will highlight our ongoing clinical studies that are investigating treatments for iron-deficiency anemia. Living With - Iron-Deficiency Anemia. Follow your treatment plan.

Monitor your condition. Your doctor may: Ask about your signs and symptoms , including whether you have any new or worsening symptoms. Repeat blood tests , such as complete blood count and iron studies. Prevent complications over your lifetime.

Learn the warning signs of serious complications and have a plan. Learn about other precautions to help you stay safe. Return to Treatment to review possible treatment options for iron-deficiency anemia.

Return to Signs, Symptoms, and Complications to review signs and symptoms as well as complications from iron-deficiency anemia.

Research for Your Health. Improving health with current research. Recipient Epidemiology Donor Studies program findings help to protect blood donors. Some people have digestive problems when they take iron.

Do not drink milk or take antacids at the same time as your iron supplements. They may interfere with absorbing the iron. It usually takes about 2 to 3 weeks of regular iron supplements before your symptoms start to improve. You may need to keep taking iron for several months to build up your reserves of iron and prevent your anemia from returning.

Take your pills for as long as your doctor recommends, even if your symptoms have improved. Diet and nutrition. Eating more iron-rich foods is a good, natural way to improve your health. Even if you eat more iron, though, most people with anemia still need to take iron supplements. Iron rich foods include red meat especially liver , egg yolks, fish, peas and beans, chicken, and whole-grain bread.

Vitamin C may increase the absorption of iron, and also helps your body produce hemoglobin.