Symptoms of iron deficiency anaemia. A community survey.

Anaemia is usually defined in terms of a reduction in the concentration ofhaemoglobin or the number of red cells in the peripheral blood. In the community at large, iron deficiency is by far the most common cause of anaemia. The symptoms of iron deficiency anaemia are said to depend on three factors: the causative disorder, the reduced oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood, and the disturbances of cell function consequent upon anoxia (Wintrobe, 1961). In chronic anaemia, certain physiological compensations occur in the circulatory system; cardiac output is usually increased and the circulation time may be diminished. Subjects may become aware of this as palpitations. Shortness of breath, if it occurs, is usually related to exercise. Anginal pain may also be precipitated by exercise during which the oxygen demands of the myocardium cannot be fully met. Deficient cerebral oxygenation may result in symptoms such as fatigue, faintness, and lack of concentration. It has been suggested recently, that