 St. Francis Health Center Decrease (-) Restore Default Increase
(+) font size Search Health Information        Iron deficiency
anemia The latest Flash Player 9,0,115,0 is available for
download @ adobe.com.  To be anemic means that there aren't
enough red blood cells flowing throughout your body. Red blood
cells carry oxygen throughout your body, so if you're anemic,
everything from your brain, to your heart, to your muscles
aren't getting enough oxygen to run properly.  Iron is a key
part of red blood cells. When your body doesn't have enough
iron, it'll make fewer red blood cells or make cells that are
just too small. If you lose enough iron, you'll wind up with
iron deficiency anemia - the most common form of anemia.  So,
what causes iron deficiency anemia? There are basically three
main ways you can become iron deficient. First, bleeding can
cause you to lose more blood cells and iron than your body can
replace. Bleeding due to ulcers, cancers, taking aspirin or
other medicines can cause anemia. In women