Iron deficiency affects toddlers, teenagers, young adults and adults alike. Iron is an important nutrient that performs many important functions in the body like enabling oxygen transportation in blood, provides energy, and makes the brain work.

Kids: Iron deficiency is very common amongst preschoolers and growing kids as that is the time they are growing fast and need substantial vital nutrients to keep up with growth and what they get is not always enough. Kids with poor food habits or who do not consume food rich in iron will show the following signs of being anaemic. Same infections will reoccur over and again, their growth will be slow, they will be lazy compared to other kids, display erratic  behaviour, complain of excessive sweating, breathlessness etc.

Kids who are premature or have not been upgraded or delayed in shifting to solid food at the right time develop iron deficiency. Also kids who depend on cow’s milk or who are poor eaters especially when they are around two years old. For kids to be fit, mothers should eat iron rich food (after talking to doctor) when they are pregnant. You should also try and include Vitamin C in your child’s diet which helps to absorb iron which is found in foods like oranges, lemons, broccoli, berries, kiwifruit, capsicum, tomatoes, mandarins, cabbage, etc.

Women in Child Bearing Age: Iron Deficiency is the most common type of health problem faced by both genders including kids the world over. Menstruating women are also prone to iron deficiency and iron is a very important component in women during their childbearing age. Kids who suffer from lack of iron due to improper nutrient intake may show signs of slow learning, blurred thinking, besides being unable to memorize all that is taught to them and difficulty in staying focussed.

Kids Weak Immune System Vs Iron Deficiency:  Intake of Iron is very crucial during kids’ growing up years, going to school. This is the age when they might be learning important and fundamentals lessons about subjects they may choose as their career in years to come. Children suffering from iron deficiency may also suffer from weak immune system.

Foods Recommended: To upgrade your dose of iron include beans, greens and dried fruit that are known to be rich in iron. It is not advisable to give iron supplements to kids as self medication as it can have serious implications. Also you should be extra careful with kids who’ve recently suffered diarrhoea or it is a chronic problem.

Symptoms & Diagnoses: Reading symptoms, doing blood test or physical examination are ways in which doctors diagnose iron deficiency. Patient may be asked to change diet schedule, may be given supplements. Sometimes a certain kind of infection amongst infants also disables body to absorb iron, in such a case doctors treat infants to get rid of infection.