Iron Deficiency

Kenneth R Bridges, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Published online: April 2001

DOI: 10.1038/npg.els.0002277

Iron deficiency is a leading cause of anaemia, affecting more than half a billion people worldwide. Depletion of iron stores precedes impaired production of iron-containing proteins, most importantly haemoglobin. The two important stages of iron deficiency are: (1) depletion of iron stores without anaemia, and (2) depletion of iron stores with anaemia.

Keywords: iron; anaemia; haemoglobin; bleeding; fatigue

Figure 1. Photomicrograph of microcytic, hypochromic red cells in a patient with iron deficiency.
Figure 2. Effect of iron deficiency on circulating iron and haematocrit. The number of red cells falls because there is insufficient iron to maintain haematopoiesis. The quantity of transferrin in the circulation rises while the amount of iron falls. The transferrin saturation (the ratio of plasma iron to transferrin) consequently falls as well.
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 Further Reading
    Bini EJ, Micale PL and Weinshel EH (1998) Evaluation of the gastrointestinal tract in premenopausal women with iron deficiency anemia. American Journal of Medicine 105: 281–286.
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Related Sub-Topics:

Biomolecular Interactions | Proteins: Structure, Function, Metabolism
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Article Title: Iron Deficiency
 
How to Cite close
Bridges, Kenneth R(Apr 2001) Iron Deficiency. In: eLS. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester. http://www.els.net [doi: 10.1038/npg.els.0002277]