Anaemia is deficiency of haemoglobin in blood. Regarding to the mechanism of appearing, anaemias are divided to anaemias caused by bleeding, decreased creation or increased deterioration of erythrocytes.
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The main symptom of the most types of anaemia is fatigue. Patients can also feel weakness, dizziness and headache. Patients that suffer from anaemia had pale skin, fast or irregular heartbeat, chest pain, cognitive problems, same can feel numbness or coldness in extremities. The most frequent of all anaemias is sideropenic anaemia. Sideropenic anaemia appears in a large number of women of generative age and in small children.
Iron is a metal which is present naturally in food as two or three-valued cation or banded with organic compounds in complexes. Iron is absorbed mainly in the duodenum.
Amounts of iron in normal nutrition is 10 to 20 mg. Daily needs of iron in man is 1 mg, woman in generative ages needs 2 mg, while pregnant woman needs 3 mg of iron. Lost of iron on a daily basis is the consequence of skin and digestive system dying. Because of menstruation women lose more blood and iron. Pregnant women must satisfy all the needs of unborn baby during pregnancy and during breastfeeding so they lose more iron from blood, too. Data shows that 10 percent of women in generative age in developed countries had sideropenic anaemia while in undeveloped countries that number rises to 50 percent.
Severity of anaemia usually don't coincide with symptoms intensity. Depends on how fast anaemia appears some patients can tolerate hard anaemia very well. Sideropenic anaemia can cause some other symptom such as headache and paraesthesia (sensation of tingling, pricking, and tongue burning). Adult patients who suffer from sideropenic anaemia often eat ice while children like to eat earth or cardboard. Except the typical symptoms of anaemia, the patients with sideropenic anaemia can have changes on tongue and mouth. In serious cases patients can have changes on the nails.
Sideropenic anaemia is treated with drugs that contains iron. Higher doses don't lead to significantly faster cure but they often cause side effects. Iron is best to be taken between two meals because of difficulties with absorption. If you can't stand iron on empty stomach take it with meat meal but not in any circumstances with fruit, vegetables or juice.
Side effects are usually gastrointestinal and they come in the shape of convulsions in the upper part of abdomen with frequent black paste stools or constipation. The frequency of the side effects is around 10 percent, they are mild and disappear spontaneously in spite of treatment continuation. In rare cases dose of drug must be decreased during few days and in rarest situation the patient must stop with the treatment. Pharmaceutical companies use that side effects for unjustified advertisement of a medicine that release iron in intestine or they contain other iron organic complexes so called chelates. Drugs that don't release iron until it get into intestine are not suitable because they don't improve patient's condition significantly. Iron organic complexes chelates are more expensive and usually contain smaller amount of elementary iron.
Therapy should lasts for three weeks and after that the patient must do new blood tests. If tests show that patient's condition is not better it is necessary for doctor to revise diagnosis or regularity of drugs taking, usually the later. For women that suffer from abundant menstruation it is more useful to solve the real cause of that problem than to take iron for years.
In a case of sideropenic anaemia it is essential for doctor to identify cause of iron deficit. If the place of bleeding is not obvious it is necessary to make endoscopic or radiological examination of stomach, duodenum and large intestine.
Proper diet which contains optimal amounts or iron plays an important role in a prevention and treatment of anaemia. It includes red meat, liver, egg yolk, soy, dried fruit, oat, plums, beer yeast, and green vegetables with leaves. Beside that, honey, milk and lemon may improve patient's condition. ■
Severity of anaemia usually don't coincide with symptoms intensity. Depends on how fast anaemia appears some patients can tolerate hard anaemia very well. Sideropenic anaemia can cause some other symptom such as headache and paraesthesia (sensation of tingling, pricking, and tongue burning). Adult patients who suffer from sideropenic anaemia often eat ice while children like to eat earth or cardboard. Except the typical symptoms of anaemia, the patients with sideropenic anaemia can have changes on tongue and mouth. In serious cases patients can have changes on the nails. 
Therapy should lasts for three weeks and after that the patient must do new blood tests. If tests show that patient's condition is not better it is necessary for doctor to revise diagnosis or regularity of drugs taking, usually the later. For women that suffer from abundant menstruation it is more useful to solve the real cause of that problem than to take iron for years.