Iron is an essential mineral that the body requires to be able to function effectively. It is responsible for helping to produce haemoglobin, which is what carries oxygen through the body. A shortage of iron can sometimes occur, and this is going to cause the issue of iron deficiency anaemia.
This is a common type of anaemia, which can affect millions of people worldwide. According to the World Health Organisation, iron deficiency anaemia affects 30% of the world’s population. As such, this article will attempt to address the ins and outs of this condition, how it affects you, and how you can test for it effectively. And, of course, answer the question ‘How much is an iron deficiency test?’
What is Iron Deficiency Anaemia?
Iron deficiency anaemia is a type of anaemia that occurs when iron levels in the body are too low to produce the necessary amount of haemoglobin. There are a number of key factors that contribute to this happening, and we will talk more about those later. The condition can cause issues such as fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath, dizziness, headaches, and pale skin.
Things to Keep in Mind
It is important to get to grips with what iron deficiency anaemia is, as well as what can cause it and the steps that can be taken to treat it. Check out the best ways of helping you to get to grips with these elements.
There are numerous factors that can cause iron deficiency anaemia, and they include:
- Poor nutrition, namely a diet lacking in iron-rich foods
- Blood loss, specifically heavy menstrual periods and internal bleeding
- Pregnancy comes with a much higher risk of iron deficiency anaemia
These are a few of the key steps you can take to help prevent iron deficiency anaemia:
- Improve your diet - more iron!
- Take iron supplements if necessary - make sure they’re recommended by your doctor
- Manage and deal with any underlying medical conditions that might affect this
- Reduce your consumption of tea and coffee
- Eat more foods high in Vitamin C, as they can improve iron absorption
Checking for Symptoms
Being able to check for symptoms, and knowing what you need to be checking for is so important when looking to come to terms with this, and make sure you assess and address this as effectively as possible. If you suspect you have iron deficiency anaemia, you can do a self check to see if you’ve got the symptoms associated with this condition.
Asking yourself ‘how much is an iron deficiency test?’ is, of course, important, but first things first - you need to know the symptoms. And here are some of the common iron deficiency symptoms:
- Fatigue
- Weakness
- Shortness of breath
- Dizziness
- Headaches
- Pale skin
- Cold hands and feet
- Occasional craving for non-foods, such as ice, dirt, or clay
Blood Tests for Iron Deficiency Anaemia
Running different types of blood tests are a great way of determining and diagnosing iron deficiency anaemia, and these tests include:
Complete Blood Count (CBC)
A CBC measures the number of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets in your blood. It also checks your haemoglobin levels to see whether you have anaemia.
Serum Ferritin Test
This is a test that measures the amount of ferritin in your blood - a protein that stores iron in your body.
Iron Level Test
This is a rest that measures the amount of iron in your blood.
Total Iron-Binding Capacity (TIBC)
A TIBC test is designed to measure the amount of transferrin in your blood - a protein that carries iron.
Treatment for Iron Deficiency Anaemia
If you get diagnosed with iron deficiency anaemia, there are a number of great options that you can use that will help you to get treatment for this. According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the prevalence of iron deficiency among pregnant women is 23%, which shows the importance of being able to treat this condition in a fast and effective manner.
There are plenty of ways to treat iron deficiency, and these vary depending on the severity and underlying cause of the condition. Typically, raising your iron intake, and addressing underlying medical conditions will be one of the best ways of achieving this. Understanding the best ways of being able to treat iron deficiency anaemia is so important, and this is something that you need to get sorted as much as possible.
These are a few of the best and most effective options for treatment for this condition:
- Iron Supplements - These are a common treatment for iron deficiency, and are available over the counter in many different forms from stores like Boots or Holland & Barrett. Their prices range from around £2.50 to over £20.
- Changing Diet - Diet is one of the biggest factors that contributes to a healthy body, and making sure you eat foods rich in iron can help treat this condition. This means choosing foods high in iron, such as red meats, poultry, fish, beans, lentils, spinach, and more.
- Intravenous (IV) Iron Therapy - Additionally, your doctor might also recommend IV iron therapy, if your elves are severely low, and this is a process designed to raise your iron levels very quickly. This treatment costs on average around £770.
- Addressing Underlying Health Conditions - It might be the case that you are dealing with underlying health conditions that are impacting your iron deficiency anaemia, and dealing with these is going to help considerably.
Testing for Iron Deficiency
Being able to test for iron deficiency anaemia is an important step in the process of understanding what you are getting into. There are so many different ideas and elements that are going to help you improve things, and understanding what you’re dealing with is key for moving forward in the right way.
Checking for symptoms is essential, but you need to conduct tests that will prove one way or another if you are actually suffering from iron deficiency anaemia. These are some of the things you can do to test effectively for iron deficiency:
Take a Home Test Kit
Taking an instant iron deficiency test kit at home to check whether you have iron deficiency anaemia is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways of doing this. A home test kit gives you a convenient and simple way of being able to test for iron deficiency, and can provide you with instant and very accurate answers. You can pick up a test kit from Official Rapid Tests for just £14.99.
Get a Blood Test
Getting a blood test is one of the best ways of determining whether you are struggling with iron deficiency anaemia. Blood tests are an excellent choice because they test multiple elements, and, as detailed earlier, there are multiple different types of blood tests that you can get done. Blood tests will measure things like haemoglobin, hematocrit, MCV, transferrin, and serum ferritin. The cost of getting a blood test done varies depending upon where you go, but the average cost of a blood draw fee is £50.
Closing Thoughts
It is clear that iron deficiency anaemia is something that can have a profound impact on your life. It is important that you do the best you can to come up with some of the key ideas that are going to help you improve your health and well-being, and taking charge of your iron deficiency is one of the best ways of being able to achieve this.
There are a lot of things that are going to help you with this, and being able to understand what this is, what symptoms to look out for, and how to test for it is so important. It is also essential to ask, how much is an iron deficiency test?, and how can you go about finding the one that works best for you?