What causes iron deficiency anemia?
Iron deficiency anemia may be caused by one or more of the following: • Breast feeding, pregnancy, or a woman’s monthly period (menstruation). • Donating blood more than five times each year. • Gastrointestinal bleeding. This is a loss of blood anywhere in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This includes the mouth, esophagus, stomach, and intestines. Common causes of gastrointestinal bleeding include alcohol use, liver disease, stomach ulcers, and intestinal tumors (cancer). Long-term use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (an-tee-in-FLAM-ah-tohr-ee) medicine (NSAIDs), aspirin, and other medicines can also cause GI bleeding. Your anemia may also be caused by blood loss in the urine. • Growing quickly. Premature babies (born earlier than expected) may have anemia because they do not have enough iron. Children under four years old and teenagers may need more iron than they are getting from food. Teenage girls may be more at risk than boys because of menstruation and poor eating habits. • No
