Complications of Iron deficiency anemia
| About complications: Complications of Iron deficiency anemia are secondary conditions, symptoms, or other disorders that are caused by Iron deficiency anemia. In many cases the distinction between symptoms of Iron deficiency anemia and complications of Iron deficiency anemia is unclear or arbitrary. |
Complications list for Iron deficiency anemia: The list of complications that have been mentioned in various sources for Iron deficiency anemia includes:
- High-output heart failure (see Heart symptoms)
- Angina
- Heart damage (see Heart symptoms)
- Heart attack
Complications of Iron deficiency anemia:
Mild anemia does not have any significant long-term consequences.
However, as the anemia becomes more severe, there are medical problems
which may arise. The most serious of these involve the heart. Severe
anemia may cause a condition called high-output heart failure, where the
heart must work harder to provide enough oxygen to the brain and other
internal organs. The heart beats faster and increases the amount of blood
that is delivered per minute. When this condition occurs in individuals
that have existing heart disease, the heart may be unable to keep up with
this increased demand, and symptoms of heart failure such as difficulty
breathing and leg swelling may occur. Individuals who have coronary artery
disease, or narrowing of the blood vessels supplying blood to the heart,
may develop symptoms of angina, the pain associated with an insufficient
blood flow to the heart muscle. Depending on the age of the woman and the
degree of coronary artery disease, angina may develop with even mild
anemia. In severe cases, the heart muscle may be permanently injured, and
the woman will be at increased risk for a heart attack. 1
Footnotes:
1. excerpt from Anemia: NWHIC
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