Question

A 16-year-old female presents at the clinic with extreme fatigue and shortness of breath while playing volleyball. She has been in good health until about six months ago. During these six months, she has had several colds and flu events where she was unable to do normal activities. Her mother reports she spends a great deal of time sleeping, sometimes twelve hours, and complains of fatigue when she awakens. She is pale and appears to have little energy. The doctor suspects iron deficiency anemia (IDA).

Question: Explain the pathophysiology of iron deficiency anemia (IDA). You will need to defend your answer using specific facts, data, and other information.

Answer 1

Iron deficiency anemia is a state of condition in which decreased level of hemoglobin in the red blood cells due to insufficient iron supply. This can create tiredness, fatigue, shortness of breath , headache, dizziness etc. Their skin even seems to be pale. These same symptoms are visible in the case of 16 year old female. Her immune system became low because of the anemia and she go continuous colds and flu.

Pathophysiology of Iron deficiency anemia: Iron is essential for the production of hemoglobin. The main function of RBC is to deliver oxygen from lungs to tissues and carbon dioxide from tissues to lungs. A decrease in its number impaired body's ability for gas exchange. It may result from blood loss, decreased intake, increased destruction of RBC's etc.