“People may experience sharp pains, or numbness and tingling in their legs,” says Dr. Modi. “It has a lot to do with the neurological correlation between iron and the nervous system."
Signs and Symptoms of Iron Deficiency
Some people who have iron-deficiency anemia develop restless legs syndrome (RLS). RLS is a disorder that causes a strong urge to move the legs. This urge to move often occurs with strange and unpleasant feelings in the legs. People who have RLS often have a hard time sleeping.
Furthermore, headache and muscle and joint pain associated with iron deficiency are repeatedly considered migraine and fibromyalgia syndrome, respectively 3, 19. The multitude of symptoms is commonly associated low ferritin concentration without anemia 1, 17, 20, 21, 22.
Cramping and Tingling in Limbs
Oxygen deprivation causes them to work overtime and cause fatigue, weakness, severe cramps, and restless leg syndrome (RLS), which may contribute to insomnia. Anemic patients may feel a crawling or itchy sensation in the feet and legs, which can worsen at night.
Indeed, iron deficiency may act through fatigue leading to a lower functional performance. On the other hand, older individuals with iron deficiency may be less active, which results in muscular weakness and decline of muscle strength due to disuse.
Extreme fatigue. Weakness. Pale skin. Chest pain, fast heartbeat or shortness of breath.
As haemoglobin enables your red blood cells to carry oxygen around the body, when it's low due to iron deficiency, oxygen levels will also below. This means your muscles won't get enough oxygen to do normal activities, such as walking.
Anemia is a problem of not having enough healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin to carry oxygen to the body's tissues. Hemoglobin is a protein found in red cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to all other organs in the body. Having anemia can cause tiredness, weakness and shortness of breath.
You may also find that low iron causes weight gain. There are a couple of reasons for this; firstly, your energy levels are low and so your exercise levels reduce; secondly, iron is essential for thyroid function, and an underactive thyroid will lead to weight gain.
If you suspect you might have an anemic disorder, check yourself for the following symptoms and call your doctor for further advice. A sudden lack of energy and chronic fatigue are warning signs that you might be lacking enough iron.
Symptoms can include: tiredness and lack of energy. shortness of breath. noticeable heartbeats (heart palpitations)
Iron-Rich Foods
Heme iron is found in meat, fish and poultry. It is the form of iron that is most readily absorbed by your body. You absorb up to 30 percent of the heme iron that you consume. Eating meat generally boosts your iron levels far more than eating non-heme iron.
Make an appointment with your health care provider if:
You have pain during or after walking. You have swelling in both legs. Your pain gets worse. Your symptoms don't get better after a few days of treating them at home.
Other health conditions: Chronic (long-term) kidney disease, inflammation from an infection, cancer, or an Autoimmune disease can cause your body to make fewer red blood cells. Certain medicines or treatments such as chemotherapy for cancer can also raise your risk of anemia.
Severe iron-deficiency anemia may require a blood transfusion, iron injections, or intravenous (IV) iron therapy. Treatment may need to be done in a hospital.
Mild: Hemoglobin 10.0 g/dL to lower limit of normal. Moderate: Hemoglobin 8.0 to 10.0 g/dL. Severe: Hemoglobin 6.5 to 7.9 g/dL[1] Life-threatening: Hemoglobin less than 6.5 g/dL.
Common causes of iron deficiency include not getting enough iron in your diet, chronic blood loss, pregnancy and vigorous exercise. Some people become iron deficient if they are unable to absorb iron. Iron deficiency can be treated by adding iron-rich foods to the diet.
Eye symptoms of low iron can include a pale coloring of the inside of the lower eyelids. In moderate or severe cases of iron deficiency anemia, the inside layer of the lower eyelid is very pale pink or yellow instead of red. Rather than low iron, one common cause of blurry vision is dry eye.
Iron-rich drinks include apple juice, apricot nectar, beef broth, beet juice, cocoa using natural cocoa powder, “green” smoothies, orange juice, pea protein smoothies, prune juice, tomato juice, and spinach juice.
– It usually takes 2 to 3 weeks of taking regular iron supplements before your symptoms start to improve. – You may need to keep taking iron for several months to build up your iron reserves and keep your anemia from returning. Take your pills for as long as your doctor recommends, even if your symptoms have improved.
The range of normal ferritin in most laboratories is 30 ng/mL to 300 ng/mL, and the mean is 49 ng/mL in women. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey describes iron deficiency in women as a low concentration of ferritin (<12 ng/mL). Diagnosis prompts consideration of the cause of IDA (usually, bleeding).
1. Dates. 100 grams of dates contains 4.79 mg of our daily iron requirement. Besides, being iron-rich fruit, dates are amazing sources of antioxidants.
Inhibitors of iron absorption include phytate, which is a compound found in plant-based diets that demonstrate a dose-dependent effect on iron absorption. Polyphenols are found in black and herbal tea, coffee, wine, legumes, cereals, fruit, and vegetables and have been demonstrated to inhibit iron absorption.