It's time to screen young women and girls for Iron Deficiency and Anemia
According to new research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), 38.6% of females in the 12-to-21-year range were found to be iron deficient. And of the 3,490 participants in the sample, 6.3% had iron deficiency anemia.
Researchers at the University of Michigan Medical School pulled data on girls and young women ages 12-21 collected over the last 20 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is the first research to look at iron deficiency in adolescent girls and young women.
Though menstruation was found to be a risk factor for iron deficiency and iron-deficiency anemia in the young women, more than 25% of girls who had not yet hit the onset of their periods also had iron deficiency.
Symptoms of iron deficiency - like headaches, dizziness, shortness of breath and fatigue - are often subtle and can be dismissed as just being a “tired teen.” But these symptoms have an impact.
“There are significant consequences especially in the adolescent age cohort where fatigue and poor concentration can lead to poor school performance,” says Dr. Allison Wheeler, associate professor, department of pathology, microbiology, and immunology at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. “And poor athletic performance can lead to changes in how girls think about exercise.”¹
This study highlights the need for review of the current screening guidance for iron deficiency.
The CDC currently recommends that non-pregnant female adolescents and women be screened every five to ten years for anemia and not iron deficiency. Within the study, routine screening may have missed 83.6% of the cases with iron deficiency.
For full review of the JAMA research findings: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-
abstract/2806540
You can also tune into CBC’s The Current podcast that discusses these findings further: The Current: Iron deficiency in young women on Apple Podcasts
¹ Iron deficiency often missed in young women, girls, research finds (nbcnews.com)
How Does Mainline Wellness Fit In?
At Mainline Wellness, we are focused on improving the awareness and understanding of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia in Canada to help more patients get the help they need.
We are committed to offering safe, timely, and accessible ER physician and nurse supervised iron infusions. Speak to your healthcare provider to see if iron infusions may be helpful for you. Treatment can begin within one week.