New Website Highlights the Serious Impact of Iron Deficiency

27 Mar 2014 --- IronDeficiency.com - a new global website - has been launched to provide patients, carers and healthcare professionals around the world with a comprehensive source of information about the causes, effects and symptoms of iron deficiency.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), iron deficiency is the most common and widespread nutritional disorder in the world1.It is a debilitating condition with a number of adverse side effects, including tiredness, neurocognitive impairment and immune dysfunction2. It has also been shown to have a negative impact on a number of other diseases and chronic conditions such as chronic kidney disease2,3 or congestive heart failure4.

According to the WHO, iron deficiency:
• Is the only nutrient deficiency significantly prevalent in both developing and industrialised countries1.
• Represents an epidemic public health condition, affecting more people than any other condition. Over 30% of the world's population, 2 billion people, are believed to suffer from anaemia, many due to iron deficiency1.
• Particularly affects children, pregnant women and the elderly5.
• Is responsible for at least half of all cases of anaemia in women of reproductive age worldwide, 30% of whom are anaemic6.

The aim of the website is to raise awareness about iron deficiency among specialists and the general public. It will:
• Provide easy-to-understand, practical information on all aspects of the disease.
• Educate people to recognise the symptoms of the disease using interactive tools, including a Symptom Browser and a survey to measure the fatigue level, a crucial indicator of iron deficiency.

An immediate focus will be on women's health, looking at the importance of iron for general wellbeing and covering issues such as heavy menstrual bleeding and childbirth. Additional sections will be added throughout the year to cover areas including cardiology, gastroenterology, oncology, nephrology and patient blood management. The new website will complement existing educational sites targeted at professionals: IronTherapy.org and ID-education.com.

IronDeficiency.com was launched at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' Global Congress (RCOG) in India. The first version of the site is in English, with Spanish, Portuguese, French and German versions scheduled to be launched during 2014.