What's wrong with anemia in a two-year-old baby?

Children nowadays are very precious and parents are reluctant to let them go if any problems occur. Some parents find that their children always look unwell and finally go to the hospital for examination and find out that they have anemia. So what exactly is going on with anemia in a two-year-old baby? Only when we understand the cause of the disease can we know how to treat it. There are four main reasons. Let’s take a look at them one by one. I hope the following content is helpful to you.

The most common anemia in children is iron deficiency anemia. This is because:

(l) Children are born with insufficient iron storage. The iron that a normal full-term newborn obtains from the mother is sufficient for its hematopoietic needs for 3 to 4 months after birth. However, premature birth, twins, fetal blood loss and maternal iron deficiency anemia can all lead to insufficient iron storage in children.

(2) People do not consume enough iron. The diet of newborns mainly consists of human milk or cow's milk, and the iron content in both human milk and cow's milk is low. If they are fed only with milk without adding iron-rich complementary foods in time, anemia is likely to occur.

(3) Growth and development decisions. Growth and development are rapid during infancy. At 3 to 5 months, the baby's weight is twice that of his birth weight, and at 1 year old, it is three times his birth weight. If the baby is premature, the weight gain is faster. As body weight increases, blood volume also increases rapidly, making iron deficiency more likely to occur, leading to anemia.

(4) Excessive iron loss. Normal infants excrete more iron every day than adults, and lose relatively more iron through the skin. If they are allergic to protein and have small intestinal bleeding, they lose even more iron. In addition, some diseases such as chronic diarrhea, intussusception, intestinal polyps, etc. can increase iron consumption and cause anemia.

What is iron deficiency anemia?

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) refers to a type of microcytic hypochromic anemia caused by insufficient iron storage in the body, which affects hemoglobin synthesis. It is the most common type of anemia throughout the world, including in my country.

The incidence of this disease is very high and is almost universal. It can occur in children, adults or the elderly in cities or rural areas. The incidence is particularly high in areas where hookworm disease is endemic. According to a survey report by the World Health Organization, approximately 10% to 30% of the world's population suffers from iron deficiency to varying degrees. The incidence rate is about 10% in men and greater than 20% in women. The incidence in Asia is higher than in Europe.

A World Health Organization report points out that half of women in the Third World suffer from anemia due to malnutrition, which is called nutritional anemia. The incidence rate among women, especially pregnant women, may be 10 times higher than that among men. Excluding China, among the 464 million women of childbearing age (15-19 years old) in developing countries, about 230 million women suffer from the disease. Among them, India may become the country with the largest number of anemia patients in the world, of which pregnant women account for about 60% to 80%. The main causes of malnutrition are iron deficiency and vitamin B12 deficiency. It can be seen that the disease covers such a wide area and the number of women suffering from the disease is so large, which is very alarming and deserves attention. Prevention and treatment of nutritional anemia has become a global concern.

The above article has explained very clearly what causes anemia in a two-year-old baby. If your child is diagnosed with anemia, you can refer to the above article to see what the cause is and then receive corresponding treatment. Anemia at the beginning is not a serious disease. It is best to increase hemoglobin by eating and take less medicine.