WHAT’S NEW? A recent study by international pharmaceutical company Vifor Pharma and welfare organisation Sata Commhealth revealed that nearly one in two healthy Singaporean women is iron deficient, and only one in 50 women has healthy levels of iron – upwards of 100ng/ml.
WHAT’S NEW? A recent study by international pharmaceutical company Vifor Pharma and welfare organisation Sata Commhealth revealed that nearly one in two healthy Singaporean women is iron deficient, and only one in 50 women has healthy levels of iron – upwards of 100ng/ml.
WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL ABOUT IRON?
It is needed to carry oxygen in your blood around your body, giving you energy and boosting concentration. Iron also sustains a strong immune system, so your body can fight infections.
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The study, done last October, involved 600 female runners aged 17 to 49, who were screened for iron deficiency when they collected their race packs for the CSC Run by The Bay. Blood tests were conducted at on-site testing stations and participants filled out a questionnaire about their exercise habits, fatigue levels and quality of life.
“I ate more than 10 trays of ice cubes a day.”
Features writer Aretha Loh, 26, did not know she was anaemic – until she was hospitalised.
“I should have known something was wrong when my vision blurred halfway through touch rugby training in 2011, while I was studying in Brisbane. Being gung-ho, I ran home, wolfed down some biscuits (it must be low blood sugar, I thought), then jogged back to the field. I dismissed the incident until I visited my aunt a few weeks later and mentioned it to her. Being a nurse, she noticed that the lining of my eyes and my fingertips were paler than average, and made me promise to see a doctor when I went back to Singapore the following week. I did as she said. I assumed that I’d just be going for a routine check-up at the polyclinic, where the pulse, heartbeat and blood pressure are measured, but by the end of the day, I was sitting in the Accident & Emergency Department at Changi General Hospital.
My blood test at the polyclinic had revealed that my haemoglobin (Hg) levels were half that of a healthy woman’s and I was at risk of heart attacks if they fell any lower. During my one-week hospitalisation, about seven tubes of my blood were drawn and sent for tests before I was diagnosed with iron-deficiency anaemia. This meant I had a lack of haemoglobin, the iron-containing red pigment in red blood cells that carry oxygen to the tissues. I was shocked; I was the poster girl for active living! I did pilates weekly and went for 5km jogs thrice a week. How could an anaemic person be so energetic? I was baffled, too, by how healthy I felt despite the diagnosis. Why weren’t there major signs of iron deficiency, such as fainting and heavy bleeding during my period?
• Mental fatigue. If you constantly feel irritable, dizzy and have difficulty concentrating, you might be suff ering from more than a lack of sleep.
• Hair loss. Some loss is normal for women with long hair, but losing big clumps isn’t.
• Repeated headaches.
• A pale face, nails, inner mouth and lining of eyes. Channelling Bella Swan from Twilight? Not a good sign.
• Ulcers in the mouth.
• Sore, red, flaky cracks at the sides of the mouth.
• Sore tongue.
• Dry mouth.
• Cravings for ice or weird non-food items such as clay and dirt.
• Feeling physically fatigued or exhausted for no reason
• Breathlessness – whether you’re jogging at a steady pace on the treadmill or walking to the bus stop.
• Infections. Down with coughs and colds every other week? Hello, red flag!
• Brittle nails that crack and chip easily.
• Cold hands and feet that nothing – not even clothing from Uniqlo’s Heattech range – can warm up.
The doctors attributed my anaemia to gradual blood loss through menstruation. On hindsight, I think the condition made itself felt in 2010. That year, I craved ice cubes so much, I crunched on more than 10 trays worth a day, to the amusement of friends; this went on for almost a year. My housemates also told me repeatedly that I looked perpetually tired, and that I always took naps and panted after climbing stairs, but I didn’t think much of their comments. Now, I know that these are some of the symptoms of anaemia. Thankfully, my treatment plan was straightforward: I had to undergo a blood transfusion (of one bag of blood) and take iron tablets daily for a year. Of course, making the decision to have a blood transfusion took some deliberation – after all, I’d be receiving blood from a stranger.
The doctors reassured me that blood donors and blood units are carefully screened for infections in Singapore, but by law, they had to highlight the risk of contracting hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV. After discussing options with my parents, I went ahead with the blood transfusion. I wasn’t really scared – I just got on with it. Five years on, I’m perfectly healthy – I run three times a week and do half-marathons twice a year. I pay more attention to my Hg levels now; I limit my daily dose of caffeine (which inhibits iron absorption), and eat more iron-rich foods such as beef and spinach. I also take multivitamins instead of iron tablets because they’re gentler on my stomach. Yearly blood tests are now routine; my Hg levels could drop drastically without me noticing, and I really don’t want history to repeat itself.”
CAUSES OF IRON DEFICIENCY*
• Heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB), which nearly one in five Singaporean women suff ers from.
• A lack of iron in the diet.
• Malab sorption caused by conditions such as coeliac disease.
• Increased nutritional needs for iron during growth spurts or pregnancy.
• Inflammation, such as inflammatory bowel disease.
