Small red blood cells

[ThatWorthyBlueLeader]

My 4 year old has had bloods done and his red blood cells are smaller than they should be. It commonly points to anaemia and his diet is so poor (he eats no iron rich foods other than a little salami or chicken now and then) that it wouldn't surprise me. But his iron levels on his blood test are normal. Has anyone else had this and it turned out to just be a deficiency? I'm driving myself mad looking through Google. And we aren't back into surgery until Tues because of the easter weekend

What was the reason for the blood tests being done? And is the number very significantly below normal? Any lab result only has meaning in context.

If either of the child's parents are from Mediterranean origin sometimes this finding can go along with carry one copy of the gene for thalassemia but this carrier state is benign and doesn't lead to health problems.

Did they test both haemoglobin and serum ferritin? Small red blood cells can be a sign of low iron stores (ferritin) that precedes low iron (anaemia). It can be anywhere from slightly symptomatic to totally asymptomatic. you have to be a more careful with children as very high iron doses can be toxic, so don't start any supplements beyond the NHS recommendations for his age group unless the GP says to do so.