Essay Preview: Iron
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Iron is an element on the periodic table with the symbol Fe. It has an atomic number of 26. Iron is an element that was long known since the ancient times. It is one of the most plentiful elements on Earth. It comprises about 5.6% of Earth’s crust and almost all of Earth’s core. Iron is a transitional metal. It has a boiling point of 2862 °C and a melting point of 1538 °C. At room temperature, iron is a solid. Iron can be used for both industrial and medical and health purposes. We use iron for medical and health purpose because it is vital for life. Deficiencies in iron can cause many health issues. It can be used for medical purpose to treat deficiencies and other health related problems. Iron plays a significant role in the human body.
Iron deficiency can cause anemia. Anemia is when the red blood cell count or hemoglobin is less than normal. Hemoglobin is the protein molecule in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to the body’s tissues and returns carbon dioxide from the tissues back to the lungs (www.uscfhealth.org). Anemia is caused mostly through 2 ways, one way is a decrease in the production in red blood cells or hemoglobin and the other is an increase in loss or destruction of red blood cells or hemoglobin. Since iron is a major component in hemoglobin iron deficiency is a very common cause of anemia. Anemia that is due to low levels of iron is called iron deficiency anemia.
Iron deficiency anemia is mostly caused by the lost of blood. When there is blood loss the body will use the iron stored in the body to compensate for the loss of the iron in the hemoglobin in the blood. In accidents like car crashes, there will be severe bleeding either internal or external. This can produce iron deficiency anemia in a short time. Some consequences of severe and sudden blood loss are dizziness, fatigue, confusion, and unconsciousness (www.medicinenet.com).
Women are at higher risk for iron deficiency anemia because of pregnancy, childbirth, and menstruation. Young women are likely to have low levels of iron because of the loss of blood each month through normal menstruation (period). This is not a huge amount so it isn’t that serious, but it is important to always keep iron levels prior pregnancy. During pregnancy the bone marrow needs to make more red blood cells. This is because during pregnancy iron requirements go up significantly. During pregnancy, the amount of blood in your body increases until you have more that almost 50 percent the usual and you need more iron to make the hemoglobin in the additional blood. You are need extra iron for growing the baby and placenta. When most women start pregnancy they won’t have enough iron in their body to fulfil the increased demands. If you you are at the point where your body does not have enough iron to make the hemoglobin needed you become anemic (www.babycenter.com). During delivery of the child the body will have a significant amount of blood loss. This why after childbirth women usually would have low levels of iron. More iron would be needed to make blood to replace the blood loss during delivery.
Infants are also at risk of iron deficiency anemia. Newborns that are fed cow’s milk instead of breast milk are likely to develop iron deficiency.