What are the effects of anemia in infants?

There are not many symptoms of anemia in the early stages, and it is not easy to diagnose the disease when an infant develops anemia. The only way to confirm the diagnosis is to go to the hospital for examination. Because babies are small and prone to crying, the symptoms caused by the disease are easily confused with some normal emotions. Therefore, to diagnose anemia in babies, it is not enough to rely on symptoms, but also to go to the hospital for formal anemia tests. Parents cannot randomly identify anemia in babies. So what are the effects of anemia in babies?

The effects of anemia on the baby's body are mainly manifested in the following aspects:

1. Iron deficiency can cause cellular immune dysfunction, resulting in poor resistance and susceptibility to illness.

2. Iron deficiency reduces gastric acid secretion and poor fat absorption, which weakens the baby's digestive ability.

3. Anemia can reduce the blood's ability to absorb oxygen, causing varying degrees of hypoxia in various organs and tissues of the body. The baby will experience discomfort such as shortness of breath and accelerated heartbeat when exercising a little.

4. Anemia causes the baby's body to be in a state of oxygen deficiency, and the muscles are weak.

The impact of anemia on the baby's mental health is manifested in:

1. Affect the baby's intelligence. Studies have shown that a baby's growing and developing brain consumes half of the body's oxygen consumption, while an adult's brain consumes only one-fifth of the body's oxygen consumption. Anemia in babies reduces their oxygen intake and causes hypoxia in brain tissue, which will affect their memory and concentration.

2. Affect the baby's mood. Due to lack of oxygen and abnormal brain cell metabolism, babies often show temper tantrums, cry and become irritable.

3. Affect social adaptability. Babies who are weak and sickly have relatively fewer opportunities to interact with others, which can easily lead to withdrawn personalities and low self-esteem.

4. Children with nutritional anemia may have pale or sallow complexion, pale lips and nails, fatigue, low resistance and other symptoms. They may also have lack of energy, poor concentration, irritability, etc. Children who have been ill for a long time often have fatigue, dry hair, and delayed growth and development.

5. The main manifestations of anemia include gradual paleness of the skin and mucous membranes (the color of lips and nails is most obvious), decreased appetite, vomiting or diarrhea. Some children may also develop pica, such as a liking to eat dirt, wall paint, etc.; mental fatigue or irritability, inattention, decreased intelligence, etc.

The above analysis is the answer to the impact of anemia on infants. Now we know that anemia in infants has a great impact on the body itself and will also cause psychological effects on the infant. Mild anemia does not cause much harm to the body, but if it continues for a long time it will cause the anemia to worsen, which will affect the normal development of the body. Therefore, once anemia is discovered, it must be treated immediately and not delayed for a long time, as it will harm the body and the growth of the baby.