Anemia: Deeper into Iron Deficiency Anemia

Dahyun Kim

July 4, 2025

It is common for people to often stand up fast and experience their view becoming white or foggy. This might just be due to simple flow in blood as they blood do not circulate as fast as the speed you stand up after a long period of lying down, but it might mean something else. Low blood pressure, and if more serious, anemia. 

Anemia, according to the Mayo clinic, is a disease where your blood does not have enough healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin to carry oxygen to the tissues in your bodies. Hemoglobin in this situation is a protein in red blood cells that caries oxygen all the way to lungs for us to breathe properly, and if this lacks, symptoms like shortness of breath and tiredness can be shown, which is common for anemic patients. Although anemia can be cured through simple treatments such as iron pills or healthier and personalized diets, it can lead to sever symptoms, often leading to hospitalization and threatening your lives.

There are five main types of anemia: aplastic anemia, iron deficiency anemia, sickle cell anemia, thalassemia, and vitamin deficiency anemia. The symptoms vary by type, cause, and how bad the anemia is. The symptoms might not show if the anemia is mild but worsening in symptoms are signs of them getting worse, so it is best to get it checked by the doctor. The common symptoms of anemia are tiredness, weakness, shortness of breath, pale or yellowish skin, irregular heartbeat, dizziness, lightheadedness, chest or heart pain, cold hands and feet and frequent headaches. These may not sound like they would majorly impact your daily lives but as it gets sever, daily activities like standing up or moving will get harder and often impossible, leading to hospitalization. 

One of the most common types of anemia in people these days are iron deficiency anemia. This is caused when there are too little iron in the body and it affects the hemoglobin forming as bone marrow needs iron to make the hemoglobin. With that being said, there will not be enough hemoglobin formed for the red blood cells, delivering less oxygen to your heart. This is more common in women as pregnancy and menstrual bleeding can cause this. According to Yale medicine, due to these symptoms, up to one third of the women population has iron deficiency anemia, which is significantly less than those in men. To cure this, it is best to take iron supplments and eat iron-rich foods such as beef and other meats, lentil beans, dark green leafy vegetables, and more. At the end, the most important thing in diseases is eating healthy and maintaining a nutrition-rich diet along with good amount of sleep for body to rest and refresh.