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Query: UMLS:C0240066 (iron deficiency)
 7,156 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The world's leading nutritional problem is iron deficiency. 66% of children and women aged 15-44 years in developing countries have it. Further, 10-20% of women of childbearing age in developed countries are anemic. Iron deficiency is identified with often irreversible impairment of a child's learning ability. It is also associated with low capacity for adults to work which reduces productivity. In addition, it impairs the immune system which reduces the body's ability to fight infection. Iron deficiency also lowers the metabolic rate and the body temperature when exposed to cold. Hemoglobin contains nearly 73% of the body's iron. This iron is always being recycled as more red blood cells are made. The rest of the needed iron does important tasks for the body, such as binds to molecules that are reservoirs of oxygen for muscle cells. This iron comes from our diet, especially meat. Even though some plants, such as spinach, are high in iron, the body can only absorb 1.4-7% of the iron in plants whereas it can absorb 20% of the iron in red meat. In many developing countries, the common vegetarian diets contribute to high rates of iron deficiency. Parasitic diseases and abnormal uterine bleeding also promote iron deficiency. Iron therapy in anemic children can often, but not always, improve behavior and cognitive performance. Iron deficiency during pregnancy often contributes to maternal and perinatal mortality. Yet treatment, if given to a child in time, can lead to normal growth and hinder infections. However, excess iron can be damaging. Too much supplemental iron in a malnourished child promotes fatal infections since the excess iron is available for the pathogens use. Many countries do not have an effective system for diagnosing, treating, and preventing iron deficiency. Therefore a concerted international effort is needed to eliminate iron deficiency in the world.
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PMID:Iron deficiency. 174

Hypochromic anaemia is very common among the island populations of Vanuatu in the South-West Pacific. Results of a large-scale survey show that, unexpectedly, this form of anaemia is seldom due to iron deficiency or coexistent parasitic disease. Rather, it results from a previously unsuspected high incidence of alpha-thalassaemia which has been identified only by application of DNA analysis to the populations studied. These findings suggest that hypochromic anaemia in tropical or subtropical populations should not necessarily be attributed to iron deficiency; detailed studies of iron status should be carried out before major dietary changes or fortification of food with iron are implemented.
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PMID:Relative roles of genetic factors, dietary deficiency, and infection in anaemia in Vanuatu, South-West Pacific. 286 13

Parasitic diseases are closely related to the lack of sanitation (unavailability of potable water, inadequate disposal of human waste, lack of latrines) or the absence of personal hygiene. They are also closely linked to warm and humid climates, and are therefore considered tropical diseases. This chapter addresses chronic hookworm parasitosis and malaria, and their effect on women's health. Of all Helminthes, hookworms cause the most severe anemia because of iron deficiency due to chronic blood loss. Worldwide, an estimated 51% of pregnant women suffer from anemia-almost twice as many as non-pregnant women. In severe cases (Hb < 70 g/l) the risk of perinatal maternal and child death increases up to 500-fold. Anemia due to maternal deficiency affects the fetus, causes retarded intrauterine growth, and reduces fetal ability to absorb iron provided by the mother. Hookworms are nematodes that infect roughly 1 billion people. Their preferred habitat is the jejunum, where they attach to the mucous tissue to feed, and secrete an anticoagulant causing bleeding. Hookworm infections often begin in childhood. The worm enters the body through the skin and reaches the highest number at the end of adolescence and young adulthood. Little attention has been given to the treatment of pregnant women because of unavailability of safe antiparasitic drugs and fear of teratogenesis. However, there are new treatments, and the anthelminthic drugs may be administered in schools and organized women's groups in communities. During pregnancy anthelminthic treatment can improve maternal, fetal and infant health. Treatment given every 4 months has been shown to interrupt the transmission cycle of the parasite and help to improve the iron status of all women. Therapeutic strategies should be linked to other measures, such as promoting the use of shoes, introduction of potable water, education and treatment of the population at large, especially the school-age population. An estimated 267 million people are annually infected by malaria, a parasitic disease caused by Protozoa of the genus Plasmodium. Malaria is transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito and is highly prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions located between 40 degrees latitude North and 30 degrees latitude South. It causes acute attacks that leave the human body in such a poor state that health problems resulting from these attacks become chronic. Due to the high mortality and morbidity associated with it, malaria is considered the most serious of tropical diseases and a major public-health dilemma. Pregnant women are at high risk of becoming infected, as well as children in their first years of life. In pregnant women, malaria can cause anemia which can be the major cause of maternal mortality, especially during the first pregnancy. Malaria can also cause fetal anemia which frequently results in retarded intrauterine growth and low birth weight. Prophylactic treatment with antimalarial drugs during pregnancy is recommended in areas where the disease is endemic. The prophylactic treatment should focus primarily on primiparous women who are most susceptible. Chloroquine is safe and effective for antimalarial prophylaxis, and is not teratogenic. Proguanil is also safe for prophylactic use during pregnancy, particularly in areas where P. falciparum is resistant to chloroquine. Mefloquine may be used during the third trimester of pregnancy, only if other antimalarial drugs are unavailable or ineffective.
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PMID:Effects of chronic parasitosis on women's health. 925 75

The frequency and etiology of anemia were investigated in 2,913 children between six and 16 years of age in Sanliurfa, in the southeast region of Turkey. Anemia was found in 142 (7.8%) children in the 6-11 years of age group, and in 16 (1.5%) in the 12-16 years of age group; in total, in 158 (5.4%) children. Causes were iron deficiency in 93 (58.9%) children, beta-thalassemia heterozygosity in 10 (6.3%) children, chronic disease that causes anemia of inflammation in 30 (19.0%) children, and intestinal parasitic infections in 17 (10.8%) children. In eight (5.1%) children, the cause of anemia could not be determined. The study's results showed that iron deficiency anemia and chronic and parasitic disease are important problems in schoolchildren of Sanliurfa, while beta-thalassemia and hemoglobinopathies have less importance.
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PMID:The frequency and etiology of anemia among children 6-16 years of age in the southeast region of Turkey. 1093 71