Anemia Case Study Essay

Anemia is a global concern that impacts all individuals and nearly half of the anemic cases are caused from iron deficiency. Iron deficiency anemia is most prevalent in children, pregnant, and nonpregnant women. Iron deficiency is caused from inadequate iron intake and absorption, increase iron requirements for growth, or from excessive iron loss (Pasricha, Drakesmith, Black, Hipgrave, & Biggs, 2013). Iron plays a crucial role in hemoglobin synthesis. With low iron, red blood cells have reduced oxygen-carrying capacity causing anemia. Symptoms include fatigue, weakness, pallor, and shortness of breath (Burchum & Rosenthal, 2016). If left untreated, there is a risk for organ damage, or ischemia, due to worsening anemia. Treatment must be focused on restoring iron to the body and replenish iron stores (Schrier & Auerbach, 2018). Children need iron for brain development to improve cognitive, psychomotor, and physical development. Long term iron deficiency in children can cause irreversible damage (Pasricha et al., 2013).

Iron can be obtained from food in heme form, which is easier to absorb, from meat, poultry, and fish;

Assessing the age of mothers and the number of children would also provide insight to the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia. Multiple births, closely together, and prolonged lactation will deplete the stores of iron for that woman (Anand et al., 2014). These iron depletions can impact the iron stores on their children. One method of providing iron to the child is delayed cord clamping at birth. Allowing one to three minutes after delivery to clamp the cord will allow for a placental transfusion. Allowing this transfusion increases the infants iron stores which will also improve fine motor and social development. This does not go without a risk to the child. Delaying the clamping of the cord can increase the risk of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia (Pasricha & Drakesmith,