With a heart made of iron, but body, not so much! - Iron Deficiency Anaemia

It won't be wrong to say that India is the capital of the world for iron deficiency anaemia. The number of cases every year in India alone could win you elections. The worst part of it is that the most affected are women and adolescents. 

Iron deficiency anaemia is the condition when the body's iron is so low that it causes a drop in haemoglobin level. Haemoglobin is the component that is responsible for carrying oxygen through blood cells to all organs. This haemoglobin is formed by iron that we consume and from the reserves in the bone marrow, and when the iron intake is less, the process is hampered. This is more prevalent in developing and underdeveloped countries, where the malnourished population is higher. Now, if the leader focuses on new strategies and unwanted "developments" instead of improving the nutrition and living conditions of the citizens, then this is bound to happen. 

Iron deficiency anaemia happens when the nutritional intake of iron is poor, with worm infestation, during pregnancy when the demand is greater. And also during postpartum as women lose blood additionally while giving birth. Anaemia causes severe fatigue, as well as an awareness of one's own heartbeat, dizziness, shortness of breath, headache, lethargy, hair loss, lacklustre skin, and brittle nails. People with IDA also have a craving for inedible substances like sand, clay, chalk, ice and such. In people who have had this for a very long time, the heart becomes weak and goes into failure eventually.

For mild forms of the condition, improved dietary intake of iron will help replenish stores. Some foods that contain iron include meat, jaggery, dates, nuts, salmon, green leafy vegetables, grains and legumes. This may sound very bland or boring, but with the arrival of more YouTube and Instagram cooks, there are a variety of dishes that can make your search for iron tasty and exciting. In case of moderate severity, when the haemoglobin falls below 8, the addition of iron supplements in the form of tablets and syrups is helpful. Iron syrup is superior to tablets because iron tablets cause gastritis and also give a very dark stain to your stools, creating panic. Additionally, iron syrups are palatable and come with other vitamin combinations. When the Hb is severely less, like when it is less than 7, then an iron infusion or blood transfusion is a must to revive stores. Every person with IDA must be dewormed first with medicines that kill the worms. 

So, why is it that even in 2024, India still has a massive malnourished and iron-deficient population? Where is all the money and energy being fed into when we love to show ourselves as one of the leading nations? Does that mean the government caters to only a particular sect and sector while completely overlooking the underprivileged? As someone who has seen leaders from my state introduce free meals at school to make education compulsory while also making sure they are being fed, I find it painful to look at gross negligence at the national level. This, I feel, is a topic of debate by itself, and one needs to question their inner self as to what they are standinf for. Let's hope we get to see leaders who are just, unbiased and willing to work on things that matter instead of distributing freebies and dividing people in the name of religion and statehood. 

"To lead people, you must walk behind them" - Lao Tsu

This post is a part of Blogchatter’s #A2Zchallenge 2024