Iron deficiency anemia is the most common disease among outpatient patients in the hematology department. The high incidence of iron deficiency anemia includes young women with increased menstruation, those who lose weight through diet control, those who drink strong tea or coffee every day, those who have undergone weight loss surgery, and those who have undergone gastrointestinal tumor surgery. "said Li Zhenling, director of the hematology department at Sino Japanese Friendship Hospital. Many patients have the idea that iron deficiency is due to malnutrition. Can improving diet change the condition of iron deficiency? Li Zhenling told reporters that for patients with anemia due to dietary control, the condition of anemia may improve after returning to a normal diet for a period of time. But for most patients in the anemia stage, drug treatment is needed due to a significant reduction in iron storage in the body. Li Zhenling introduced that there are two dosage forms of drugs, one is oral iron, and the other is intravenous infusion. Patients who have not undergone gastrointestinal surgery and have not experienced intolerance such as abdominal pain or diarrhea after taking iron can take oral iron. The advantage of oral iron therapy is that it is easy to use and does not require hospital infusion. However, the disadvantage is that the absorption rate is relatively low, only about 10% can be absorbed. Therefore, the treatment course will be longer, and it usually takes 3-6 months to make up for the missing iron. It should be noted that some patients, after taking iron for a month, find that the red blood cell and hemoglobin index in their blood routine are normal, so they stop taking the medicine on their own. This is a mistake that many patients often make. Therefore, although the blood routine index returns to normal at this time, the stored iron in the body, such as serum ferritin, is still not up to standard and should not be stopped. After taking oral iron for 3-6 months, serum ferritin should be rechecked to see if the stored iron has reached the standard, usually reaching 50ng/ml. If the patient is intolerant to oral iron therapy, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, etc., or cannot absorb iron during gastrointestinal surgery, or if a certain surgery is required but the hemoglobin does not meet the standard, it is necessary to quickly increase the hemoglobin. At this time, intravenous iron therapy should be chosen. Intravenous infusion of iron 1-2 times, with a dose of 1000-1500 milligrams per dose, can replenish the missing iron. Li Zhenling added that some patients may experience anemia again after receiving sufficient iron supplementation, but the cause of the condition has not been eliminated, such as excessive menstruation or dieting to lose weight. Li Zhenling advised that during the treatment process, doctors will help patients choose suitable treatment methods. Patients should follow the doctor's instructions, complete the treatment course, and also have regular follow-up examinations. In addition, correcting the cause is also an important aspect of the treatment of iron deficiency anemia. (Outlook New Era Network)