Iron deficiency anemia in children

During the growth of children, supplementing the various vitamins and minerals needed by the body can effectively prevent the occurrence of some diseases. For example, if children do not pay attention to iron supplementation, it is easy to cause anemia. This is the so-called iron deficiency anemia in children. Among the many causes of anemia, iron deficiency anemia is the most common cause in children.

Iron deficiency anemia in children

Iron deficiency anemia is common in babies between 6 months and 3 years old. Because its symptoms are not very obvious at the beginning, many parents do not pay attention to it. By the time they find out, it is already quite serious. In order to detect it in time, parents must understand the symptoms of iron deficiency anemia in children.

(1) General symptoms: Symptoms include restlessness or lack of energy, inactivity, loss of appetite, and pale skin and mucous membranes, most notably on the lips, oral mucosa, nail beds, and palms. Preschool and school-age children may report fatigue and weakness at this time.

(2) Manifestations of hematopoietic organs: Due to extra-bone marrow hematopoietic reactions, the liver, spleen and lymph nodes are often slightly enlarged. The younger the age, the more severe the anemia, and the longer the disease course, the more obvious the hepatosplenomegaly will be, but the enlargement rarely exceeds moderate.

(3) In addition to changes in the hematopoietic system, iron deficiency also affects metabolism. From a cytological point of view, it can lead to a deficiency of the cytochrome enzyme system; reduce the activity of enzymes such as catalase, glutathione peroxidase, succinate dehydrogenase, monoamine oxidase, aconitase and α-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase; and affect DNA synthesis. Due to metabolic disorders, loss of appetite, slow weight gain, atrophy of tongue papillae, decreased gastric acid secretion and small intestinal mucosal dysfunction may occur. Pica is more common in adults and less common in children.

This is all I have to say about the symptoms of iron deficiency anemia in children. If you want to protect your baby's health, the most important thing is to prevent the disease. In normal times, you should prevent your baby from being picky eaters and feed him or her more iron-rich foods, such as black fungus and animal offal.