What Are the 5 Stages of Iron Deficiency Anaemia?

Did you know that 33% of the world’s population suffers from anemia? In 50% of cases, the primary cause is iron deficiency. As you can understand from its name, this condition occurs when a person lacks the required amount of iron in his/her body. From low intake of iron-rich food items to blood loss through menstruation, various factors can cause this nutritional deficiency. The body’s inability to absorb iron is one of the major causes of this disorder.

Iron Deficiency Develops Through Five Stages

From mild to severe, the deficiency progresses step by step and not abruptly. Hence, if you are aware of the specific symptoms of each different phase, it will be possible for you to address the deficiency at the earliest.

Stage One – Depletion of Iron Storage

The early-stage deficiency occurs when your body starts “asking” for more iron than what you consume. A persistent mismatch between demand and supply leads to the depletion of the iron that is stored in the bone marrow.

As the body starts losing its stored iron, it starts absorbing more dietary iron to compensate for this loss.

A lab taste during this stage may show the hemoglobin (Hb) and serum iron to be at a normal level, but the serum ferritin level is expected to fall below a level of less than 20 ng/mL. With this condition leading to sharp compensatory iron absorption, there will be a rise in transferrin level.

At this stage, the body still has enough iron to fight the progressive depletion. Anemia does not set in yet, although the affected person is at risk of developing the same.

Stage Two – Mild Deficiency Sets In

This stage is characterized by a drop in the level of transfer iron or Transferrin. Though the transferrin level rises in the depletion stage,  during the second stage of iron deficiency, transferrin saturation decreases. Hemoglobin level is still not affected but red blood cells start shrinking in size during this stage.

Stage Three – Anemia Develops

Anemia is a condition characterized by an alarmingly low level of hemoglobin. This is the stage when the hemoglobin level starts to decrease rapidly.

Stage Four – Microcytosis and Then Hypochromia Develop.

Microcytosis does not only cause your body to have lesser red blood cells but also the blood cells are smaller in size. On the other hand, due to Hypochromia, the red blood cells start losing oxygen-carrying pigments and the blood starts looking colorless.

Stage Five – Severe Hemoglobin Deficiency

In the last stage of its progression, iron deficiency is at its most severe form, causing hemoglobin to drop drastically. With blood cells becoming fewer, smaller and carrying a smaller number of hemoglobins, this causes severe anemia.

Anemia manifests itself through a variety of symptoms include pallor, extreme fatigue and weakness, loss of energy, lack of interest, nagging headaches, and compromised immunity.

People often take iron supplements to deal with iron deficiency. They may be helpful in increasing the supply of iron in your body, but not without side effects. What if you could find a solution that is iron-free? IronCatch is a supplement that is free of iron and as a result free of any side effects. Its formula is designed to bolster your body’s capacity to absorb iron from natural food. People who used IronCatch testified to have seen a remarkable improvement in their energy level within two weeks of taking this supplement.