Iron Deficiency Anemia in Seniors: Diet, Causes and Treatment Guide

To use the sharing features on this page, please enable JavaScript.

What Are the Common Causes and Risk Factors?

Understanding iron deficiency anemia seniors diet is important for seniors and their caregivers. red blood cells bring oxygen to your body’s tissues. Red blood cells are made in your bone marrow. Red blood cells circulate through your body for 3 to 4 months. Parts of your body, such as your spleen, remove old blood cells.

Iron is a key part of red blood cells. Without iron to make hemoglobin, your blood cannot carry oxygen effectively. Your body normally gets iron through your diet. It also reuses iron from old red blood cells.

Iron deficiency anemia develops when your body’s iron stores run low. This can occur because:

• You lose more blood cells and iron than your body can replace
• Your body does not absorb iron well
• Your body is able to absorb iron, but you are not eating enough foods that contain iron
• Your body needs more iron than normal (such as if you are pregnant or breastfeeding)

Bleeding can cause iron loss. Common causes of bleeding are:

• Heavy, long, or frequent menstrual periods
• Cancer in the

  esophagus

  ,

  stomach

  , small bowel, or

  colon

• Esophageal varices

  , often from cirrhosis

• The use of aspirin, ibuprofen, or medicines that may thin the blood for a long time, which can cause gastrointestinal bleeding

• Peptic ulcer disease

Your body may not absorb enough iron from your diet due to:

• Celiac disease

• Crohn disease

• Gastric bypass surgery

• Taking too many antacids or too much of the antibiotic tetracycline

You may not get enough iron in your diet if:

• You are a strict vegetarian
• You do not eat enough foods that contain iron

What Are the Symptoms and Warning Signs?

You may have no symptoms if the anemia is mild.

Most of the time, symptoms are mild at first and develop slowly. Symptoms may include:

• Feeling weak or tired more often than usual, or with exercise
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Palpitations
• Problems concentrating or thinking

As the anemia gets worse, symptoms may include:

• Brittle nails

• Blue color to the whites of the eye
• Desire to eat ice or other non-food things (

  pica

  )

• Feeling lightheaded when you stand up

• Pale skin color

• Shortness of breath

• Sore or inflamed tongue
• Mouth ulcers
• Uncontrolled movement of legs (during sleep) – known as restless leg syndrome
• Hair loss

Symptoms of the conditions associated with bleeding that cause iron deficiency anemia include:

• Dark,

  tar-colored stools

  or blood in the stool

• Heavy menstrual bleeding
• Pain in the upper belly (from ulcers)