Iron Deficiency Anaemia

Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) is the most prevalent nutritional deficiency worldwide, affecting approximately 30% of the global population, particularly young children and premenopausal women. Iron is vital for critical biological processes, including oxygen transport, energy metabolism, DNA synthesis, and cell proliferation. Iron deficiency, a precursor to IDA, occurs when iron stores are depleted without necessarily progressing to anaemia. When iron deficiency advances to IDA, it results in microcytic hypochromic anaemia, characterized by small, pale red blood cells due to insufficient iron for haemoglobin synthesis.