Your body uses iron to create hemoglobin, an iron-rich protein found in all of your red blood cells. Hemoglobin attaches to oxygen and carries it to the tissues in your body. If a man's body does not contain enough iron, it cannot produce enough hemoglobin. Eventually, a condition called iron-deficiency anemia may develop. A number of conditions can cause a lack of iron in older men.
Blood Loss
Because most of the iron in your body is located in the hemoglobin of your red blood cells, if you lose blood, you also lose iron. One of the most common causes of iron deficiency is blood loss. An older man may become deficient in iron as a result of chronic, internal bleeding due to colon cancer, colon polyps or a bleeding ulcer. If an older man regularly takes nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, such as ibuprofen, it can cause internal bleeding that might lead to iron deficiency. Blood loss from surgery or a traumatic injury can also cause an older man to become deficient in iron.
Malabsorption
The iron from the foods you eat is absorbed in your small intestine. If an older man has a chronic digestive condition that interferes with proper iron absorption in the small intestine, such as celiac disease or Crohn's disease, he might become deficient in iron. Prior intestinal surgery or surgical removal of the small intestine can also cause an older man to become deficient in iron.
The medications used to treat indigestion and gastroesophageal reflux disease can also lead to iron deficiency. These medications reduce the amount of stomach acid that your body produces. Stomach acid helps convert dietary iron into a form that your body can properly absorb. Without adequate amounts of stomach acid, an older man could not properly absorb iron.
Inadequate Dietary Intake
An older man also might develop iron deficiency as a result of inadequate consumption of iron in the diet. The best sources of dietary iron include meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products and iron-fortified foods. An older man who has dentures and has difficulty chewing tough foods, such as meat, might not eat meat regularly. As a result, he can become deficient in iron. To prevent the development iron deficiency, an older man should consume 8 mg of iron every day.
Considerations
Mild iron deficiency does not usually cause any symptoms or complications. It is important for an older man to seek treatment for iron deficiency, however, because a prolonged deficiency can result in serious health complications. If a man does not have enough iron in his body, the body cannot create red blood cells, and oxygen cannot be delivered properly. As a result, the heart works harder to compensate for the lack of oxygen. This can lead to abnormal heartbeat and even heart failure. This is especially dangerous for an older man with existing heart problems.
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