Recognizing Anemia in Children

Anemia can have various causes, but one of the common causes is iron deficiency, which is a common nutritional deficiency in children. Iron is needed to make hemoglobin in the blood, which carried they oxygen to the tissues through the body.

Infants, children and adolescents need iron because their need for the nutrient is increased during their growing years. An insufficient iron intake is a major cause of childhood anemia, but the condition has become less common the in the United States due to iron fortified infant formulas and cereals

Anemia in its early stages often does not have any symptoms. Therefore, the anemia in children may go unrecognized because the iron reserves are depleted slowly. As the anemia progresses symptoms may start to appear. A child may seem to have a lack of energy or vitality and lose some of their zest for life.

Symptoms of Anemia

Fatigue or tired

Weakness

Pale skin

Rapid heartbeat or new heart murmur

Breathless feeling or shortness of breath

Irritability

Lack of appetite

Lightheaded feeling or dizziness

Sore or Swollen tongue

Jaundice

Enlarged spleen or lever

Slow or delayed growth and development

Slow wound healing

Some people may have cravings to eat non good items, such as paint chips, chalk or dirt. Called pica, this is a relatively rare symptom of iron deficiency.

As young girls reach puberty and start menstruating they have an increased risk of iron deficiency due to blood loss. Teen athletes also tend to lose iron as they sweat during exercise.

It may be possible to correct anemia with nutrition, but instead of self diagnosing the condition a doctor should be consulted The pediatric physician or doctor should be made aware of any symptoms of anemia so they can conduct tests for proper diagnoses because the symptoms could be caused by other conditions. The doctor may be able to diagnose the condition with a simple blood test.

Treatments for anemia may include iron supplements and a diet of foods that are rich in iron. Foods that are rich in iron include raisins, meats (especially liver), poultry, fish, egg yolks, beans, legumes , spinach, apricots, prunes, tuna , soybeans, peanut butter and whole grain bread.

According to Medline, iron supplements for a child diagnosed with anemia can improve memory and cognitive test performance, improve athletic performance.

Information in this article is not intended as medical advice. If you have questions about a medical condition, please consult a physician.

Resources:

Medline

Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford

WebMD

Mayo Clinic

Kids Health.org

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