Risks of Iron Deficiency and Iron Deficiency Anemia

The health risks of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia explained

Left untreated, iron deficiency (ID) can progress to iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and eventually lead to long-term health complications.8-11

Diagnosing iron deficiency early is critical

Without proper intervention, iron deficiency anemia can become dire and even life-threatening, leading to the following potential complications:8-11

  • Heart and lung conditions
  • Worsening chronic conditions
  • Reduction in the effectiveness of medications
  • Organ damage
  • Maternal morbidity during pregnancy40

Iron deficiency anemia in pregnant women can also impact fetuses and newborns.18, 24, 36, 37 They may:

  • Develop iron deficiency in their first year of life
  • Be small for their gestational age
  • Face admission to the neonatal care unit
  • Have a low birth weight
  • Face increased risk of preterm birth
  • Face higher rates of neonatal morbidity and mortality

By knowing what to test for and acting quickly, you can prevent the progression of iron deficiency to iron deficiency anemia.8-10

Outline of the United States with stars in the northwest corner
Iron deficiency impacts more patients than you might realize.

In the United States, approximately 10 million people have iron deficiency and approximately 5 million have iron deficiency anemia.16

You may be seeing patients every day who are at risk for iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia

Many women may experience iron deficiency or iron deficiency anemia in their lifetime18

Women are at risk of ID and IDA because they are likely to experience at least one, but likely several, conditions that lead to iron deficiency, including the following:

  • Heavy menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia)
  • Pregnancy
  • Uterine fibroids
  • Childbirth
  • Menopause
Stroller

Worldwide up to

30%

of women of childbearing age may have IDA.26

Pregnant person holding belly with heart above head

Up to

37%

of pregnant women in the US may have IDA.18

Group of diverse women with checkmark in the middle
66%

of women may have ID in their lifetime.19

Globe

Up to

75%

of women worldwide may have anemia in their lifetime.44

Patients with other underlying conditions are also at risk

Prevalence of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia is also high among patients with inflammatory conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD).21,22,23†

Other conditions and factors associated with ID and IDA include:24

  • Malabsorption syndrome
  • Nutritional deficits
  • Restrictive diets
  • Heart failure
  • Surgery
  • Cancer
Pain radiating from hips
36-90%

of patients with IBD (eg, Crohn's, UC) have ID.21

Kidneys
20-65%

of patients with CKD have ID.23

Intestine with starburst behind upper left corner
36-76%

of patients with IBD (eg, Crohn's, UC) have IDA.22

Stomach with drop of blood overlay
11-27%

of patients with CKD have anemia.23

†Although there is overlap between ID and IDA, some markers are sensitive to assessing ID (ferritin) and some markers are indicators of IDA (hemoglobin).

Identifying ID/IDA

Learn how to spot the signs and symptoms of ID and IDA so you can treat patients effectively.

Downsides of Oral Iron Salts

Learn why iron supplements can make your patients feel worse instead of better.

References:
8. Iron-deficiency anemia. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. Accessed October 30, 2023. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/anemia/iron-deficiency-anemia
9. Jimenez K, Kulnigg-Dabsch S, Gasche C. Management of iron deficiency anemia. Gastroenterol Hepatol (N Y). 2015;11(4):241-250.
10. Badireddy M, Baradhi KM. Chronic anemia. In: StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2023
11. Kessy JP, Philemon RN, Lukambagire A, et al. Iron depletion, iron deficiency, and iron deficiency anaemia among children under 5 years old in Kilimanjaro, Northern Tanzania: a hospital-based cross-sectional study. East Afr Health Res J. 2019;3(1):42-47. doi:10.24248/EAHRJ-D-18-00017
16. Miller JL. Iron deficiency anemia: a common and curable disease. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med. 2013;3(7):a011866. doi:10.1101/cshperspect.a011866
18. Friedman AJ, Chen Z, Ford P, et al. Iron deficiency anemia in women across life span. J Womens Health (Larchmt).2012;21(12):1282-1289
19. Camaschalla C. Iron deficiency. Blood. 2019;133(1):30-39. doi:10.1182/blood-2018-05-815944.
20. Mirza FG, Abdul-Kadir R, Breymann C, Fraser IS, Taher A. Impact and management of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia in women's health. Expert Rev Hematol. 2018;11(9):727-736. doi:10.1080/17474086.2018.1502081
21. Kulnigg S, Gasche C. Systematic review: managing anaemia in Crohn’s disease. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2006;24(11-12):1507-1523.
22. Stein J, Hartmann F, Dignass AU. Diagnosis and management of iron deficiency anemia in patients with IBD. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2010;7(11):599-610.
23. Fishbane S, Pollack S, Feldman HI, Joffe MM, et al. Iron indices in chronic kidney disease in the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey 1988–2004. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2009;4(1):57-61.
24. Cappellini MD, Musallam KM, Taher AT. Iron deficiency anemia revisited. J Intern Med. 2020;287(2):153-170. doi:10.1111/joim.13004
25. Manckoundia P, Konaté A, Hacquin A, et al. Iron in the general population and specificities in older adults: metabolism, causes and consequences of decrease or overload, and biological assessment. Clin Interv Aging. 2020;15:1927-1938. doi:10.2147/CIA.S269379
26. Anaemia in women and children. World Health Organization. 2021. Accessed October 30, 2023. https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/topics/anaemia_in_women_and_children
36. Juul SE, Derman RJ, Auerbach M. Perinatal iron deficiency: implications for mothers and infants. Neonatology. 2019;115(3):269-274. doi:10.1159/000495978
37. Colomer J, Colomer C, Gutierrez D, et al. Anaemia during pregnancy as a risk factor for infant iron deficiency: report from the Valencia Infant Anaemia Cohort (VIAC) study. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 1990;4(2):196-204. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3016.1990.tb00638.x
38. Drukker L, Hants Y, Farkash R, Ruchlemer R, Samueloff A, Grisaru-Granovsky S. Iron deficiency anemia at admission for labor and delivery is associated with an increased risk for Cesarean section and adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. Transfusion. 2015;55(12):2799-2806. doi:10.1111/trf.13252