H E A L T H
ANEMIA IN KIDS & TEENS
It is very common for teenagers, especially girls, to experience anemia, but thankfully this condition is easy to treat once you spot the symptoms and take action! Anemia is a condition that affects both adults and children, and arises when the number of red blood cells in the body falls below the normal range for the individual. Anemia is fairly easy to spot in a child, as it can make their skin look very pale and colourless, and you’ll see them feeling tired, weak and energyless all the time. Although the symptoms can be distressing for any parent to see, anemia is very straightforward to treat, because its root cause is usually an iron deficiency in your child’s diet. Teenagers in particular go through a stage of growth spurt, and for this reason, teens are particularly susceptible to anemia, as are younger children with nutritionally inadequate diets.
WHAT IS ANEMIA? Anemia means there are not enough red blood cells in the body. Red blood cells are filled with hemoglobin, a special pigmented protein that makes it possible to carry and deliver oxygen to other cells in the body. The cells in your child’s muscles and organs need oxygen to survive, and decreased numbers of red blood cells can place stress on their body.
Your child may become anemic if… ü Their body is not producing sufficient red blood cells. This can happen if they don’t have enough iron or other nutrients in their diet (irondeficiency anemia). ü Their body destroys too many red blood cells. This type of anemia usually happens when a child has an illness or has inherited a red blood cell disorder, such as sickle-cell anemia ü If your child loses red blood cells through bleeding. This can either be obvious blood loss, such as heavy
16 | JANUARY 2022 | MOTHER, BABY & CHILD
