Frequently asked questions on Anaemia

Q: What is Anaemia?

A: Human blood contains a red pigment called haemoglobin, which carries oxygen into the lungs and to different parts of the body. For making haemoglobin red, strong and healthy, it chiefly needs iron, folic acid, vitamin C, protein and vitamin B12 – these are essential nutrients that our body cannot make on its own and need to be taken in our food, deficiency of these nutrients in the diet leads to decreased concentration of haemoglobin, making it thin and pale in colour.

When haemoglobin concentration is lower than the levels considered normal for the person's age and sex group, this is called Anaemia. Decreased haemoglobin concentration leads to less supply of oxygen to different parts of the body, which results in the malfunctioning of body cells and organic systems.

Out of all these nutrients, Anaemia due to a deficiency of iron is more common. Among all Anaemia, iron deficiency Anaemia is found in more than 50 per cent of the cases. Anaemia, like fever, is a manifestation, not a disease, the most common cause being iron deficiency. Other causes include deficiencies in various vitamins and minerals, such as vitamins A, B, and folic acid, as well as zinc, and infections from malaria and worms.

Q: Why is Anaemia a problem?

A: India has the most significant number of young people aged 10-19 years in the world – 243 million out of 1.2 billion. This age group – adolescents - comprise one-fourth of India’s population and is a key driver of India’s future economic growth. However, some percentage of girls and boys in the age group of 15-19 years in India suffer from Anaemia.

Anaemia is eroding the mental and physical capacity of young boys and girls, retarding their physical development, making them fatigued and breathless, and adversely affecting their memory and energy to perform daily tasks.

Adolescent marriage and pregnancy are still prevalent in India, particularly in rural India. Anaemia in girls during pregnancy increases their risk of giving birth to babies with low birth weight, resulting in complications during childbirth. Research shows that after the first year of life, adolescence is the second-highest growth spurt period.

Adolescents, if fed and cared well, gain up to 50 per cent of their adult weight, more than 20 per cent of their adult height, and 50 per cent of their adult skeletal/bone mass during this period. A country whose young boys and girls should have been marching ahead is being robbed of their capacity to achieve their physical and mental potential due to Anaemia.

Q: What causes iron deficiency?

A: Iron stored in the body is utilized when the amount of iron required by the body is more than that absorbed from the intestine. If this condition persists for an extended period, iron stores become depleted, and iron deficiency develops in the blood.

Generally, Anaemia develops due to a lack of iron intake in our food or a hindrance in the absorption of iron from food for any reason. Besides this, Anaemia results when there is blood loss during heavy labour, injury and surgery, and there are hookworms/roundworms in the intestine, and in the case of Malaria, during which breakdown of haemoglobin takes place.

Q: Why are adolescents prone to iron deficiency?

A: During adolescence, there is a rapid increase in height and weight and sexual maturation. Also, for adolescent girls, menstruation begins, leading to blood loss each month. 

To cope with these additional demands, there is an increased requirement for iron. If it isn’t available, young girls suffer from iron deficiency, and this leads to.

Q: How does it affect an anaemic person?

A: Simple exercises like playing games, walking, climbing stairs, etc., make an anaemic person feel out of breath and tired. Even minor work at home can lead to tiredness. Reduces the ability to memorise and learn. You fall sick often and cannot concentrate while working or remember what you have learnt. This reduces academic success.

Children have more than twice the risk of scoring below average in math tests. Anaemic children often fall sick, leading to absenteeism from school. In girls, pregnancy is associated with giving birth to anaemic babies as well: it’s a vicious cycle, low birth weight babies and affects their own survival during delivery.

Q: How can we prevent it?

A: Eating foods rich in iron, like Palak, Methi, Sarasia, Suva Ni Bhaji, Ajman Na Pan Bajra, Khajur, meat, fish, and eggs and taking Iron Folic Acid (IFA) tablets once a week, is an effective means of keeping away. Along with the above diet, deworming tablets must be taken once every six months to prevent infections in adolescents.

Tea and coffee, two hours before and after meals, should be avoided as they inhibit iron absorption into the body. Vitamin C-rich food, i.e. citrus fruits like Amla, Guava, Ber, Oranges, and lemon, should be taken along with meals containing iron as it improves iron absorption.

Q: Is the iron tablet a magic pill to prevent iron deficiency?

A: Yes. This is because iron from a vegetarian diet is not effectively absorbed. Adolescent boys and girls should take it once a week. This is not a medicine but a nutrient, which you get from food. As the requirement of this nutrient is more and can’t be met by diet, it is supplemented in the form of a tablet.

Q: What are the side effects of taking an iron tablet?

A: When the iron tablet is taken for the first time, the body may find it a little difficult to digest, and you may have symptoms such as stomach ache and nausea. 

However, if we take the iron tablet after eating, the absorption will be slightly lower, but stomachache and nausea will not occur. These side effects disappear once you take the tablet regularly for a few weeks as the body adjusts to the iron tablets.

Some people may complain about black stools, but they are harmless. The body takes the iron it needs, and the extra iron comes out of the body through the faeces.

To avoid any side effects, you should never take the tablet on an empty stomach. Taking any vitamin or nutrient is never restricted during an illness. It helps you recover fast from your illness by improving the body's immunity.

Q: How to take an IFA tablet –Do’s

A: Take a single tablet 

• Swallow the tablet
• Eat on a full stomach
• Have one glass of water after taking the tablet

Q: How to take the IFA tablet –Don’ts

A: Don’t chew 

• Don’t crush
• Don’t break
• Don’t take on an empty stomach
• Don’t take with milk.