Hemoglobin Deficiency

You must have come across the term hemoglobin during your routine hemoglobin test. The doctor may tell that you are suffering from hemoglobin deficiency. Does it not make you wonder what is hemoglobin in blood? It is an iron containing metalloprotein that transports oxygen in the red blood cells. The vital molecule of life, oxygen is able to reach each and every cell as well as tissue in the body with the help of hemoglobin. It consist of a protein called heme that helps in binding the oxygen molecule. The normal hemoglobin range in blood are as follows:

• Men: 13.8 to 18.2 g/dL
• Women: 12.1 to 15.1 g/dL
• Pregnant Women: 11 to 12 g/dL
• Children: 11 to 16 g/dL

If the normal hemoglobin levels fall, it indicates hemoglobin deficiency or iron deficiency anemia. The lack of iron in blood causes anemia, that in turn causes the low hemoglobin levels in blood. This leads to many health problems like feeling tired, fatigues and shortness of breath. Anemia is generally a temporary condition that can be corrected by including more iron rich foods in the diet. However, in some cases anemia can turn into a chronic and life-threatening problem, if one does not seek immediate iron deficiency treatment.

Causes
There are many causes of low hemoglobin levels. The main cause of hemoglobin deficiency is lack of dietary iron. There are many other medical conditions, that can lead to iron deficiency anemia. A pregnant woman, lactating mother or growing children as well as adolescents, tend to go through increase in red blood cell production. This increase in blood cell production increases the body's requirement for iron. If one does not supplement the body with enough dietary iron, it can lead to hemoglobin deficiency. Lack of dietary iron is probably the main cause of deficiency in children.

People with gastrointestinal problems are not able to absorb iron in through their small intestine. This abnormality causes a significant drop in the iron absorption and level of hemoglobin in the body. Excessive blood loss due to an injury, gastrointestinal bleeding or heavy menstruation periods may also lead to hemoglobin deficiency. Other conditions like sickle cell anemia, bleeding during childbirth, peptic ulcer bleeding can also lead to low hemoglobin levels. A few other medical problems that can lead to hemoglobin deficiency include:

• Bladder cancer
• Colorectal cancer
• Colon polyps
• Hiatal hernia bleeding
• Kidney cancer
• Uterine fibroid

Symptoms
The symptoms can be very vague or mild in some people. Sometimes, the symptoms of iron deficiency anemia indicate an underlying medical condition. The symptoms of low hemoglobin are as follows:

• Weakness
• Fatigue
• General Malaise
• Dizziness
• Shortness of breath
• Depression
• Pale skin, nails and gums
• Brittle nails
• Chest pain
• Cold hands and feet
• Heart palpitations
• Decrease in mental concentration

Hemoglobin deficiency in children can cause poor neurological development, behavioral disturbances, poor academic performance and increase in risk of lead poisoning.

Treatment
The first step in the treatment is change in diet. Food suitable include the following:

• Green leafy vegetables like broccoli, spinach, turnip greens, collard, cabbage, etc.
• Lima beans, green peas, pinto beans, black-eyed peas and canned baked beans
• Yeast leavened whole wheat breads
• Pasta, rice and cereals that are iron enriched
• Clams, oysters, sardines and anchovies
• Chicken, duck, turkey, liver, etc.
• Beef, lamb, liver, other organ meat

Next, comes use of iron supplement therapy. The doctor may prescribed you iron tablets or tonics for several weeks or months as low hemoglobin treatment. These iron supplements help in increasing the level of iron in the blood. However, iron supplements can cause constipation. You should take these supplements on an empty stomach with orange juice. This will help in better absorption of the iron.

If your blood test shows low hemoglobin levels, your doctor will advice you the corrective measures. Blood oxygen levels decrease due to hemoglobin deficiency and will make you tired and fatigued more often. Thus, make sure you include foods like dates, spinach, etc., in your diet. Hope the above paragraphs have helped you learn about low iron symptoms better.