Coping with... IRON DEFICIENCY ANAEMIA

This condition is caused by lack of iron, often during pregnancy or from chronic blood loss

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Anaemia is where the blood doesn't carry enough oxygen, which is needed for tissues to work properly, due to insufficient or poorly functioning red blood cells. Iron deficiency anaemia is the commonest type and is due to a shortage of blood iron – other anaemias include vitamin B12/folate deficiency anaemia, anaemia of chronic disease and sickle cell anaemia. Initial tests help with the differential diagnosis.

Symptoms include tiredness, lack of energy, breathlessness, palpitations, headaches and paler-than-usual skin. It may be found incidentally through blood tests for other reasons, but if you have symptoms, see your GP, who will ask about lifestyle, diet, family and medical history, then arrange blood tests to check the anaemia type.

Firstly, a full blood count (FBC) will show how many red cells you have, their size, shape and quality, as well as other blood cell types. Other tests include iron specifics such as ferritin (iron stores), total-iron binding capacity (TIBC) or transferrin, plus vitamin B12/folate levels, liver and kidney function.

It can take a while to find the reason for anaemia. Your GP may do further tests to look for chronic bleeding, such as a Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT), checking for blood in your poo, or refer you to a specialist such as a gynaecologist if you are having heavy periods, an ENT surgeon about nosebleeds or a haematologist (blood specialist) about rarer anaemias.