Anemia is a common and frequent disease. Some patients with anemia do not want to go to the hospital because of the trouble, and often purchase their own “blood tonic” drugs for treatment. However, most of the “blood tonic drugs” sold in pharmacies are iron-containing preparations, which are certainly acceptable for people with iron deficiency anemia. However, there are many reasons for anemia, and if the anemia is caused by other reasons, too much iron supplementation is not only not beneficial but harmful. Anemia can be caused by a variety of factors, such as nutritional deficiency, various acute and chronic blood loss, hemolytic anemia and hematopoietic disorders caused by bone marrow disease, anemia secondary to tumor or inflammation and renal anemia, etc. Among them, nutritional deficiency can be caused by iron deficiency, and blood loss also belongs to iron deficiency anemia. Iron is an important raw material for hemoglobin, and the content of iron in the body of adults is constant and can be reused, and it is not easy to be discharged out of the body. Patients with iron deficiency anemia can correct anemia quickly after supplementing iron and stopping the causes of blood loss, but if patients who are not iron deficient take iron blindly, it will lead to excessive iron load in the body, and too much iron will be deposited in the liver, pancreas, heart, spleen and other parts of the body, so that the function of these organs will be damaged, which can cause liver cirrhosis This is the so-called secondary hemochromatosis, which is a life-threatening condition. Also, high iron content in the body can cause certain tumors such as colon cancer, lung cancer, liver cancer, etc. In addition, Alzheimer’s patients can be aggravated by excessive iron supplementation. Who is prone to iron deficiency anemia in the Department of Hematology and Endocrinology of the Affiliated Hospital of Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine? Generally speaking, infants and young children during the growth period, adolescents, women during pregnancy or lactation are prone to iron deficiency, and the iron needs of these people are increased. women, due to their physiological characteristics, anemia is mostly caused by iron deficiency, and the incidence of iron deficiency anemia in women of childbearing age is 10-15 in western developed countries and about 9.2-36 in China. people with certain iron absorption disorders are prone to iron deficiency, such as sub-total gastric resection, food not absorbed through duodenum, or those with long-term diarrhea and lack of gastric acid, iron deficiency anemia after gastric surgery accounts for 10; there are also some chronic blood losers such as ulcer disease, hookworm disease, cirrhosis esophageal varices, bleeding hemorrhoids, excessive menstruation, patients with hemoglobinuria, etc., because the iron content of red blood cells is large, and chronic blood loss in these patients means that iron loss is significantly increased, and the iron available in the diet is about 15mg/day, while in adults only 1mg is absorbed, and the maximum is not more than 6mg. It is difficult to replenish the lost iron in general diet, and iron deficiency anemia is likely to occur over time. All the above patients should be treated with iron supplementation. How to supplement iron? Oral iron supplementation is the best way to supplement iron. Commonly used iron supplements include ferrous gluconate, ferrous fumarate, ferrous succinate and polysaccharide iron complex, etc. Iron supplementation should be continued for 3-6 months after the anemia is corrected to replenish the iron reserves in the body. Those who cannot take it orally can be treated with intramuscular injection of iron dextran, the dosage and usage should be under the guidance of a specialist. Iron supplementation can also be considered in the diet. Iron-rich foods are mainly animal blood, liver, lean meat, poultry eggs and fish. Black fungus, kelp, nori and shiitake mushrooms also contain more iron. The consumption of iron-fortified soy sauce can also be supplemented with iron. It should be noted that although the iron content of vegetables and fruits is lower than that of animal foods, they contain vitamin C and organic acids, which can promote iron absorption, so it is important to pay attention to the combination of meat and vegetables in the diet. The above introduces the causes of iron deficiency anemia, the dangers of using iron supplements indiscriminately and how to supplement iron correctly, hoping to help patients.