Iron-Deficiency Anemia · when blood can't carry oxygen

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Iron
About two thirds of the body's iron sits in the heme at the center of hemoglobin, the atom that grabs oxygen in the lungs and lets go of it in the tissues. When iron runs short, the marrow builds red cells that are small and pale, and oxygen delivery falls. Stored iron (ferritin) runs out first; hemoglobin falls last.

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Palpitations
Iron-deficiency anaemia is one of the body-wide causes of palpitations: with fewer oxygen-carrying red cells, the heart beats faster to make up. If palpitations come with tiredness or heavy periods, a blood count gets to the answer more directly than trying a supplement.

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What anemia actually is

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Anemia does not mean less blood. It means too few healthy red blood cells that can carry oxygen. One end of the story is the bone marrow, where red cells are made; the other is every tissue in the body, where the oxygen is used.

A red cell's job is to carry oxygen: it loads up in the lungs and delivers to every muscle and organ. When there are too few oxygen-carrying red cells, or too little hemoglobin inside them, the tissues run short of oxygen for long stretches, and the body compensates by beating faster to pump more rounds and breathing deeper to grab more oxygen. That produces the vague symptoms: tiredness, weakness, poor concentration, feeling cold, getting winded after two flights of stairs, a fast heartbeat, dizziness, and a pale face and inner eyelids. Iron-deficiency anemia is the most common form.

Two things should not wait. If an adult man or a woman past menopause is found to be iron-deficient, the source of blood loss needs to be found. If you suspect a child has swallowed adult iron tablets, do not wait at home for symptoms — contact poison control or go to the emergency department now.

Educational content, not medical advice — consult a clinician.

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