Patient was educated on the importance of iron as follows:
- Iron is an essential nutrient of human diet.
- Iron is required to produce functional red blood cells in the human body.
- Iron forms the central part of hemoglobin in the red blood cells.
- Hemoglobin helps pick up oxygen from the lungs, transport, and deliver it to the various body tissues.
- Once oxygen is delivered to the tissues, hemoglobin also helps pick up carbon dioxide from the tissues, transport, and deliver it to the lungs, to be eliminated.
- By helping with oxygen delivery and carbon dioxide elimination, hemoglobin plays an important role in the normal function of all vital organs. Deficiency of iron and hemoglobin can compromise the oxygen delivery and carbon dioxide elimination, thus compromising function of all vital organs in the body.
- Iron also forms an important part of myoglobin, which is the primary oxygen carrier of oxygen to the muscle tissue.
- Significant amount of iron is also stored in the body, as Ferritin. During times of iron depletion and deficiency in the body, this stored iron can be utilized, to meet the body requirements and prevent compromise on any body functions.
- Iron also acts as an essential part of many enzymes in the body that are needed for the biological functions and body metabolism.
- Iron is also necessary to maintain healthy cells in the skin, hair, and nails. Iron is also needed by the body for proper immune function.
