Key Points

• Iron-deficiency anemia is a common, easily treated condition that occurs when you don't have enough iron in your body.
• Low iron levels usually are due to blood loss, poor diet, or an inability to absorb enough iron from the foods you eat.
• Iron-deficiency anemia usually develops over time if your body doesn't have enough iron to build healthy red blood cells. Without enough iron, your body starts using the iron it has stored. After the stored iron is gone, your body makes fewer red blood cells. The red blood cells it does make will have less hemoglobin than normal. Hemoglobin is a protein that helps carry oxygen to your body.
• People at highest risk for iron-deficiency anemia include infants and young children, women of childbearing age, and adults who have internal bleeding.
• The signs and symptoms of iron-deficiency anemia depend on how serious the condition is. Mild to moderate iron-deficiency anemia may have no signs or symptoms. Many of the signs and symptoms of iron-deficiency anemia, such as fatigue (tiredness), apply to all types of anemia.
• Your doctor will diagnose iron-deficiency anemia based on your medical history, a physical exam, and the results from tests and procedures.
• Treatment for iron-deficiency anemia will depend on the cause and severity of the condition. Treatments may include dietary changes and supplements, medicines, and surgery. Severe iron-deficiency anemia may require treatment in a hospital, blood transfusions, iron injections, or intravenous iron therapy.
• Eating a well-balanced diet that includes foods that are good sources of iron may help you prevent iron-deficiency anemia. Taking iron supplements (as your doctor prescribes) also may lower your risk for the condition if you're not able to get enough iron from food.
• If you have iron-deficiency anemia, it's important to take care of your health. See your doctor regularly, take iron supplements only as your doctor prescribes, and tell your doctor if you have any new symptoms or if your symptoms get worse.
• Iron-deficiency anemia usually can be successfully treated.