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| Symptoms Of Anemia |
The signs and symptoms of iron deficiency
anemia can often be subtle and unclear, but it is the most common form of
anemia. Iron is an essential mineral so if you lack it, your body cannot make
enough healthy red blood cells. Those red blood cells contain hemoglobin, a
protein-rich in iron that carries oxygen from your lungs to the tissues of your
body. It is a good idea to know the symptoms of iron deficiency anemia,
especially when they can often take time to develop. Anemia gets worse with
time and may cause different life-threatening physical and mental problems.
Therefore, it is a good idea to know the symptoms of iron deficiency anemia,
especially when they can often take time to develop so that it can be
diagnosed early before it turns fatal.
In the early stage, the symptoms of
anemia are very light, especially when you have mild or moderate anemia. Our
body has a special ability to adapt and will compensate for the low level of oxygen
in the blood. However, if ignored, the anemic condition advances, the body’s
ability to compensate decreases, and the symptoms of anemia become more
noticeable. In most of the case, anemia is diagnosed while investigating other
illness, as the early signs were ignored.
1.
FATIGUE OR/AND WEAKNESS
It is usually the first sign of
anemia. It is common to feel tired after a long day of work or a heady session of
exercise. But if
you perceive that you have low energy levels, muscle weakness, or feeling
unexplained fatigue, which still persists even if you rest well, then it is
probably due to a deficiency of iron. The lower level of hemoglobin leads to
lower oxygen supply to the muscles and you feel a lack of energy and exhaustion. You
start feeling fatigued when you do not have enough red blood cells. If you have such a complaint too,
consult a doctor immediately.
You have trouble doing a normal workout. Your endurance gets suffered if you
have anemia and you have trouble in doing a normal workout.
2.
PALENESS
Paleness or yellowing of the eyes
is one of the best ways to tell that you are anemic. You look at the mucous
membrane of your eyes, it is a vascular area, and so if it is yellow, it is a
true indication that you are not getting enough red blood cells in other areas
of your body either. No matter your skin tone, your face, the palms of your
hands, gums, inside the lips, and the lower part of your nail may also look
pale. This washed-out appearance is due to decreased blood flow and reduced red
blood cells.
3.
SHORTNESS OF BREATH
If you notice that you
often have shortness of breath, especially when during exercise, while climbing the stairs when you are lifting something, or even when you do some everyday activity this means that you may have anemia.
These are a sign that
indicates your body is not getting the oxygen it needs. Hemoglobin in the red blood
cells is the carrier of oxygen around the body. When you have a lower level of
hemoglobin in your body due to anemia, your oxygen level will be also low. That
means your muscles not getting enough oxygen to perform regular activities and
you suffer from shortness in breath.
4.
HEART PALPITATION OR INCREASED
HEARTBEAT
This condition is affecting
our heart as well. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, inadequate
hemoglobin in the blood makes the heart to beat faster in order to pump more
blood to get more oxygen into the cells. This heart rate or heartbeat
increases. A heart murmur or an irregular heartbeat is also common if you are
anemic. Heat palpitation may be heard as pounding in-ear, especially if you are
lying down on one side.
5.
CHEST PAIN
Anemia makes the heart to
overwork to meet the oxygen demand. The supply of oxygen to the cardiac muscle also
is hampered and the anemic person feels chest pain or angina. An overworking
heart suffers from irregular heartbeats, enlargement of cardiac muscle, and even
heart attack. In fact, one-third of all cases of Congestive Heart Failure is
found to be due to anemia. According to a review of cardiomyopathy and iron
deficiency in the Texas Heart Institute Journal, things get worst if you are
suffering from iron deficiency anemia for a long time.
6.
ANXIETY
A high-speed heart can make
anyone feel anxious. If the anxiety is new to you, it has intensified or there
is no other reason, it may be a sign that you are anemic. Lack of oxygen also
speeds up the sympathetic nervous system and makes you feel stressed. You feel
apathy towards anything and everything - work, family, or friends. You feel
apathy towards anything and everything - work, family, or friends.
7.
NUMBNESS
Due to lack of blood in the body,
hands and feet can also become numb. One of the principal causes of anemia is
vitamin B12 deficiency. Lack of viaminB12 causes nerve damage and this leads to
numbness and tingling sensation in your hand and feet, loss of reflexes, and
muscle weakness. Sharp pain and numbness are also observed in iron deficiency.
8.
MUSCLE SORE
Muscle weakness and unexplained
muscle pain or muscle ache is one of the commonest symptoms of iron deficiency
anemia. If you do not have enough iron
in your muscle, its ability to recover is hindered and you feel muscle soreness
and inflammation. In lack of oxygen, the muscle does not get enough energy to
perform properly and losses its strength and stamina.
9.
HEAVY PERIODS AND IRREGULAR
BLEEDING
In women, to heavy period may be
a sign of iron deficiency anemia. Heavy period causes loss of too much blood
and replenishes half of it, and the following again losses too much blood. The most common cause of iron-deficiency
anemia in women is uterine fibrosis, especially those located inside the
uterine cavity, which causes heavy, irregular, and painful bleeding. Due to which
the problem of anemia or blood deficiency occurs.
10.
GETTING FREQUENT INFECTION
If you often get sick, especially
if you are repeatedly suffering from respiratory illness, iron deficiency might
be the reason. Sufficient iron is necessary for a healthy immune system and
lack of iron will cause you to catch more illnesses than usual. Our lymphatic
system plays a vital role in fighting infection and your spleen is an important
part of it. If the spleen and the lymph nodes are not getting enough oxygen due
to anemia, they cannot produce healthy white blood cells to fight
infection.
11.
SWELLING AND SORENESS OF THE
TONGUE AND MOUTH
People suffering from iron
deficiency anemia have complained of a sore, swollen, or strangely smooth
tongue. A low level of hemoglobin in the blood makes the tough look pale, where are
as low myoglobin, another iron protein complex present on muscles, causes your
tongue ( which is also a muscle) to become swollen, sore, and strangely smooth. The swollen tongue may cause difficulty to chew, swallow, or even speak. Mouth ulcers or sore
red cracks at the corners of the mouth, also termed as angular cheilitis, are
also an indication of iron deficiency.
12.
COLD HAND AND FEET
According to Iron Disorder
Institute, unexplained cold hands, and feet are a common symptom of iron
deficiency. If you feel a freezing sensation in your fingers and toe or if your
nails turn whitish, then you have lesser hemoglobin in your blood and
suffering from anemia. With anemia, there is less supply of oxygen to the hands
and feet and adequate heat is not produced.
13.
BRITTLE OR SPOON-SHAPED
FINGERNAILS
Nails become weak and fragile
that chip and crack easily due to deficiency of iron and other nutrients. A
concave or spoon-shaped depression in a nail; a condition called koilonychia, is
also an indication of severe iron deficit in the body. A strong and healthy nail is a sign of proper
nutrients, but if your nail becomes brittle, you are probably suffering from
iron deficiency.
14.
PINK OR RED URINE
People with iron deficiency may
have pink or red urine, this happens because iron deficiency caused increased
intestinal absorption of certain pigments.
According to a study, 66 to 80 percent of cases of pink or red urine are due
to untreated iron deficiency anemia. Dark urine may also cause due to hemolytic
anemia when excess red blood cells are destroyed due to sickle cell disease or
thalassemia.
15.
UNUSUAL CRAVINGS
Strange and unhealthy cravings
are observed in anemia. This usually occurs as the body lacks certain
nutrients. If you notice to have a certain unusual craving for non-nutritive
substances like chewing chalk, paper, ice, or dirt, then it is sure that you are
lacking iron in your diet. This hankering for strange foods is also seen during pregnancy.
16.
BRAIN FOG AND DIFFICULTY TO FOCUS
Your brain is the first organ to
suffer from the lower level of oxygen in the body. Lack of adequate oxygen to
the brain will slow cognition. If you are having trouble concentrating,
remembering things, or not remembering the past, then it is not just the cause
of increasing age but it can be a sign of iron deficiency. Synthesis of
neurotransmitter may be altered in people with iron and vitamin B12
deficiency and this leads to difficulty to focus.
17.
ANEMIA HEADACHE
Stress, headaches, and migraines
are common, but if you think you have a headache more often or you do nothing
that reduces pain, see your doctor immediately. Although there are several
causes of headaches, anemia could be one of them. According to the American Society
of Hematology, due to anemia, not enough oxygen to reach your brain and this causes
the blood vesicles in the brain to swell up, causing an increase in pressure and
headache.
18.
DIZZINESS OR LIGHT-HEADEDNESS
ESPECIALLY AFTER STANDING
Feeling light-headedness or
dizziness especially after standing may be due to anemia. When you stand up the
blood pulls down by gravity and lowers the blood pressure in your head.
Therefore, if you are suffering from anemia you have a lower oxygen supply, a fall
in blood pressure further lowers the supply of oxygen in your brain, and you
feel dizzy or light-headed. Feeling light-headedness or dizziness is a symptom of
lower RBC (red blood cell) count.
19.
HAIR FALL
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, 80 million men and women experience hair loss mostly due to hereditary
factors, but you cannot ignore the change of being anemic. If you see more than
100 hairs in your brush or your hair are thinner, you may be anemic. Hair is a
thread of protein growing from the hair follicle and the formation of this hair protein
requires iron. Thus the loss of hair may be a sign of iron deficiency. Due to iron
deficiency anemia, the hair follicle gets less oxygen and cannot regenerate or
grow, which makes the hair dull, damaged, and thin. Sometimes the follicles may
die and hair falls. It can also be due to hormonal conditions like
hypothyroidism or vitamin deficiency, so go to your doctor.
20.
RESTLESS LEG SYNDROME
Restless leg syndrome is the
strong urge to move your legs while you are at rest. You feel an unpleasant tingling and crawling
sensation in your feet and legs. This becomes worse at night and the sufferer
finds it difficult to sleep. Though the exact cause of restless leg syndrome is
not known, according to John Hopkins Medicine, 15% of the case found to have a link with iron deficiency anemia. The lower the level of iron deficiency, the
syndrome becomes worst.
These 20 symptoms indicate that
you have anemia. Therefore, never ignore these symptoms, rush to your doctor, and go for a blood test.
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