Iron Deficiency Anemia
A common pediatric anemia caused by insufficient iron for hemoglobin production.
What parents should know
Iron helps red blood cells carry oxygen. Children can become iron deficient from low dietary iron, too much cow’s milk, rapid growth, menstruation, or blood loss.
- Symptoms may include tiredness, pale skin, fast heartbeat, headaches, poor appetite, or pica such as craving ice or dirt.
- Treatment often includes iron-rich foods and an iron medicine plan from your clinician.
- Improvement is monitored with repeat blood tests; iron stores usually take longer to rebuild than hemoglobin.
Call urgently if
- Your child has chest pain, fainting, severe shortness of breath, or extreme sleepiness.
- There is black stool, blood in stool or urine, heavy menstrual bleeding with dizziness, or rapid worsening pallor.
- A young child may have swallowed iron tablets; iron overdose is an emergency.
Clinical snapshot
Typical pattern: low hemoglobin, low MCV/MCH, high RDW, low ferritin or low transferrin saturation. Reticulocyte response after therapy supports diagnosis.
- Assess diet, cow’s milk intake, growth, menses, GI symptoms, pica, lead exposure, prematurity, and family history.
- Consider CRP with ferritin when inflammation may confound interpretation.
- Screen for celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, or occult blood loss when history or response is atypical.
Referral / escalation
- Severe symptomatic anemia, diagnostic uncertainty, pancytopenia, hemolysis, poor response despite adherence, or need for IV iron/transfusion.
- Microcytosis disproportionate to anemia, normal ferritin, high RBC count, or relevant ancestry should prompt consideration of thalassemia trait.