ANAEMIA

Iron deficiency is a common condition even in countries with a high economic standard. The presence of iron deficiency implies a lack of balance between the iron which can be absorbed from the diet and the daily iron requirement. This is particularly likely to occur at those ages where the physiological needs are greatest, i.e. during the times of rapid growth, and in women during reproductive life due to the extra demands of menstruation and pregnancy. Iron deficiency is also likely to occur in any circumstance in which there is pathological blood loss, for example from bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract from causes such as piles, peptic ulcers and so on. In the tropics one of the commonest causes of iron deficiency is blood loss due to hookworm infestation.