How is iron deficiency anemia diagnosed?
Iron deficiencyanemia may be suspected from general findings on a complete medical history and physical examination of your child, such as complaints of tiring easily, pale skin and lips, or a fast heartbeat (tachycardia). Iron deficiency anemia is usually discovered during a medical examination through a blood test that measures the amount of hemoglobin, or number of red blood cells, present and the amount of iron in the blood. In addition to a complete medical history and physical examination of your child, diagnostic procedures for iron deficiency anemia may include the following: • additional blood tests • bone marrow aspiration and/or biopsy – a procedure that involves taking a small amount of bone marrow fluid (aspiration) and/or solid bone marrow tissue (called a core biopsy), usually from the hip bones, to be examined for the number, size, and maturity of blood cells and/or abnormal cells.
