While iron deficiency can affect your quality of life, you might not even know that you have it. Making things more complicated, iron deficiency isn’t something that doctors normally screen for, so it might not be on your radar as the cause of your issues. However, that might need to change, as a recent study revealed that the condition is fairly common, with nearly one in three Americans having undiagnosed iron deficiency.
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The new research, which analyzed data from approximately 8,021 adults in the U.S., was published in JAMA Network Open on Sept. 24. Investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston found that 14 percent of participants had absolute iron deficiency (not having enough iron in the body), while 15 percent had functional iron deficiency (having iron that can’t be effectively used). Participants were all over the age of 18 (average age 48) without any known risk factors for iron deficiency or conditions associated with iron deficiency.
“These findings suggest that absolute and functional iron deficiency affect a large proportion of American adults even in the absence of anemia, heart failure, or chronic kidney disease,” the study abstract reads. “Further research on the role of functional iron deficiency in adverse health outcomes and on iron deficiency screening strategies is needed.”
Speaking with CNBC, co-author Leo Buckley, PharmD, clinical pharmacology specialist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said that iron deficiency is a “common yet underappreciated public health problem.”
He continued, “What’s unique about our study is we were looking at regular people who would not otherwise have been screened or tested.”
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With this in mind, you might have an iron deficiency but simply be unaware. According to the study, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has guidelines for iron deficiency screening among “high-risk groups,” but the parameters are unclear for the general population. As a result, the current screening recommendations may leave 70 percent of iron deficiency cases among children and pregnant women undiagnosed.
So, if you show a few key symptoms, you might be deficient in iron. According to Cleveland Clinic, constant fatigue, shortness of breath, chills, pale or yellow skin, craving ice or non-food items, and brittle nails or hair loss may signal the need to talk to your doctor about a supplement or treatment.
However, while the latest study shed light on the prevalence of underdiagnosis of iron deficiency, Buckley believes not everyone needs to be screened for it. Instead, healthcare professionals should test iron levels if patients have deficiency symptoms or if they’re at a high risk, he told CNBC.