Physical impairment (for instance, difficulty getting up from a chair, walking or maintaining balance)... Although some people think of anemia as a "young woman's disease," it affects postmenopausal women, too. Among its symptoms are fatigue, shortness of breath, dizziness, depression and cloudy thinking. Premenopausal women are particularly prone to iron-deficiency anemia because menstruation and pregnancy drain the body of iron.

ALL-IMPORTANT IRON Among anemia's various causes, the most com is iron deficiency. The Culprit Could Be Anemia When there is a shortage of healthy red blood cells, the amount of oxygen being carried through the circulatory system is insufficient to meet all of the body's needs.

Because these symptoms have many other possible causes, anemia often goes undiagnosed and untreated. Iron is crucial for production of hemoglobin, a protein needed to form healthy red blood cells. In fact, anemia hits seniors hard, increasing their risk for cognitive dysfunction (such as problems remembering to take medication or pay bills)...

The condition affects at least twice as many women as men.