Symptoms of iron deficiency in children

I believe everyone knows the importance of iron to our human body. Iron is even more important to babies. If the baby shows symptoms of iron deficiency, it is easy to cause trouble to the body. Therefore, we recommend that parents must pay attention to the symptoms of iron deficiency in children. Once the child shows symptoms of iron deficiency, timely treatment should be sought. Below we introduce the symptoms of iron deficiency in children.

Iron deficiency in babies is often prone to iron deficiency anemia, which usually occurs between 6 months and 3 years old. The onset is usually slow and goes unnoticed by the mother. By the time the baby sees a doctor, the baby has usually developed moderate anemia. Therefore, understanding the clinical manifestations of iron deficiency can help mothers detect their babies' iron deficiency symptoms early.

1. General manifestations

The skin and mucous membranes become progressively pale, most obviously on the lips, oral mucosa, eyelids, nail beds, and palms, accompanied by lack of energy, poor response to the surrounding environment, sometimes irritability, dizziness, tinnitus, memory loss, and other discomforts.

2. Performance of other systems

Digestive system: loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal distension or constipation. In severe cases, there is pica (eating paper scraps, coal slag, etc.).

Respiratory and circulatory system: Due to lack of oxygen, there may be compensatory breathing and increased heart rate, which is more obvious after activity or crying. In severe cases, heart murmurs, heart enlargement and even heart failure may occur.

Reduced immune function: susceptible to various infections. T lymphocyte function is weakened and the bactericidal ability of granulocytes is reduced.

Enlarged liver, spleen, and lymph nodes

Due to the extramedullary hematopoietic reaction, the liver, spleen, and lymph nodes may be slightly enlarged. The older the patient is, the longer the course of the disease, and the more severe the anemia, the more obvious the enlargement.

Taking iron supplements is only for babies with severe anemia

For babies with mild anemia, scientific and reasonable dietary supplements can basically correct it. Taking iron supplements is only for those babies with more severe anemia, that is, in addition to dietary therapy, they must also take ferrous drugs, vitamin C tablets and gastric enzyme tablets. Iron supplementation should be determined based on the baby's weight, anemia and growth rate, and is best done under the guidance of a doctor.

In the above article, we introduced a symptom that is common in children, that is, iron deficiency. We know that iron deficiency can easily lead to decreased memory and immunity in patients. The above article gives us a detailed introduction to the symptoms of iron deficiency in children.