How many children are anemic

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Products and services. Iron deficiency in children: Prevention tips for parents Iron deficiency in children can affect development and lead to anemia. By Mayo Clinic Staff. Thank you for Subscribing Our Housecall e-newsletter will keep you up-to-date on the latest health information.

Please try again. Something went wrong on our side, please try again. Show references Powers JM, et al. Accessed Oct. National Institutes of Health. What is iron-deficiency anemia? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Kaushansky K, et al. Iron deficiency and overload. In: Williams Hematology. McGraw-Hill Education; Hay WW, et al. Red blood cells are filled with hemoglobin, a special pigmented protein that makes it possible to carry and deliver oxygen to other cells in the body.

The cells in your child's muscles and organs need oxygen to survive, and decreased numbers of red blood cells can place stress on the body. Does not produce enough red blood cells. This can happen if she does not have enough iron or other nutrients in her diet e. Destroys too many red blood cells. This type of anemia usually happens when a child has an underlying illness or has inherited a red blood cell disorder e. Loses red blood cells through bleeding. This can either be obvious blood loss, such as heavy menstrual bleeding, or long-term low-grade blood loss, perhaps in the stool.

This behavior is called " pica " pronounced pie-kuh. Pica often occurs in children who are low in iron and can cause constipation. In these children, the pica usually stops after the anemia is treated with iron supplements. Even a low level of anemia can affect your child's energy, focus, and ability to learn. Chronic iron deficiency anemia can result in long term, permanent impairment of development.

In most cases, a simple blood count can diagnose anemia. Iron-deficiency anemia and other nutritional anemias can be prevented by ensuring that your child eats a well-balanced diet.

Talk with your doctor about any specific dietary restrictions in your household as your child may require a nutritional supplementation to prevent anemia. Do not give your baby cow's milk until he or she is over 12 months old. Giving cow's milk before your child is ready may cause blood loss in his or her stool and can also decrease the amount of iron absorbed in the gut. If you are breastfeeding: Your baby will have an adequate supply of iron until at least 4 months of age.

At 4 months of age breastfed infants should be supplemented with iron until they are eating enough complementary foods that contain are rich in iron e. Talk with your pediatrician about foods best suited for this purpose, and how much additional iron supplementation is needed. If you formula-feed your baby: Give your baby formula with added iron. Low-iron formula can result in iron-deficiency anemia and should not be used. See Choosing a Formula.

After 12 months of age, avoid giving your child more than 2 cups a day of whole cow's milk. Milk is low in iron and can make children feel full, which can decrease the amount of other iron-rich foods they eat.

Miller, MD. Larger text size Large text size Regular text size. What Is Anemia? There are many different kinds of anemia, so treatments vary. What Are the Different Kinds of Anemia? The types of anemia are based on what causes them.

They include: Anemias from when red blood cells get broken down too fast , called hemolytic anemias. They include: autoimmune hemolytic anemia: when the body's immune system destroys its own red blood cells inherited hemolytic anemias: these include sickle cell disease , thalassemia, G6PD deficiency , and hereditary spherocytosis Anemia from bleeding.

This can happen due to bleeding from an injury, heavy menstrual periods , the gastrointestinal tract, or another medical problem. Anemia from red blood cells being made too slowly , such as: aplastic anemia: when the body stops making red blood cells from an infection, illness, or other cause iron-deficiency anemia : when someone doesn't have enough iron in their diet anemia B12 deficiency: when someone doesn't get enough B12 in the diet or the body can't absorb the B