Iron Deficiency Anemia in Women Across the Life Span

Abstract

Anemia is a global health issue with disproportionately high prevalence in women. In addition to being an independent risk factor for decreased quality of life and increased morbidity and mortality, anemia in women has been linked to unfavorable outcomes of pregnancy and other issues for children born to anemic women. Iron deficiency is the leading cause of anemia in many populations. Guidelines recommend proactive screening for anemia, particularly in the preoperative setting. Once anemia is diagnosed, treatment should be based on etiology (most commonly, iron deficiency followed, in order of prevalence, by inflammation or chronic disease). Iron supplementation (oral and intravenous) offers safe and effective treatment for anemia associated with iron deficiency. Anemia of chronic disease may be more challenging to treat, and attention must be given to the underlying disease, along with use of hematinic agents. Given its enormous impact on the health and well-being of women and the availability of simple and effective treatment options, anemia should never be left unmanaged.

Comparison of four immunoassays to measure serum ferritin concentrations and iron deficiency prevalence among non-pregnant Cambodian women and Congolese children

“…Accurate diagnosis and treatment of ID are important, especially for pregnant women and young children [3][4][5]. However, overestimations of ID prevalence can result in unnecessary iron supplementation, which also can be harmful to some individuals [28].…”

“…Iron deficiency (ID) is thought to affect over 2 billion people worldwide [1,2] and can have severe consequences for women during pregnancy [3,4] and for children's early brain development and growth [5,6]. The gold standard test for ID is the assessment of iron stores through a bone marrow aspirate [7,8]; however, this is an invasive and painful test that is rarely used in practice to diagnose ID.…”

Differences in Risk Factors for Anemia Between Adolescent and Adult Women

“…Participants were excluded for a history of blood transfusion as this suggests their IDA may have been due to causes (e.g., trauma, malignancy) other than the IDA most commonly seen in routine primary care. 2 Pregnant or breastfeeding participants also were excluded. Those with cancer, malignancy, or chronic kidney or liver disease were excluded, but these questions were only asked for participants older than 20 years.…”

“…[1][2][3] Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) affects 2%-5% of reproductive-age women in the United States with clearly documented morbidity.…”

“…10,13 Although anemia is a late-stage indicator of iron deficiency, laboratory testing is commonly based on a hemoglobin level to screen for anemia due to its widespread availability and ease of interpretation. 2,15 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends testing ''all nonpregnant women for anemia every 5-10 years throughout their childbearing years during routine health examinations.'' Women with risk factors (extensive menstrual or other blood loss, low iron intake, and previous diagnosis of IDA) are recommended for annual objective testing, although risk assessment tools for blood loss and low iron intake are either not available or not widely used.…”