Iron Deficiency Anaemia - Symptoms / Causes Of Anaemia
Jan 27, 2016
I have recently been diagnosed with fairly mild iron deficiency anaemia, which was picked up incidentally prior to an unrelated issue, and I was told it is a type that usually stems from bleeding. I was advised to speak to my GP about treating this, and on doing so he first asked me if I'd had any worrying symptoms, well I haven't noticed any obvious blood spurting from anywhere, or any blood in my bowel movements/vomit, so I said no. He then seemed to put it down to periods. I don't really have periods, and when I do they are pathetically light, so I don't think its that, but he didn't seem concerned. I am now on a 1 month course of ferrous sulphate and need to have more bloods after that to see if it's sorted it, but I am just worried about what caused it in the first place. I don't think my diet is particularly bad, so where on earth am I bleeding from!! My GP doesn't seem concerned, so I'm guessing I shouldn't be either, but just wondering what other people's experiences are of the causes of their anaemia?
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Hb 3.7 iron deficiency anaemia
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I have been low iron since i was born. Only recently has my doctor been checking my levels and trying to raise my iron from anaemia. My doctor says that i should be getting between 800 - 1000 mg of iron a day. That means i have to take an iron pill four times a day. So when should i take the pills? Do i take them right after or before meals? I will go back in two months and they will draw blood to see if my iron has improved. I am just wondering what to do in the meantime to improve my iron results?
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I've been on ferrous fumarate for 3 months and doctor says my results are improving (hemoglobin has reached normal and ferritin has went from 1 to 12)
My symptoms were continuing so I was tested for B12 deficiency and got result today. B12 came back as 276. The doctor left a message to say continue with iron for 3 months and that was it! I am really down as I don't know whether the iron will up my B12 or not? I don't know if this means my B12 is on the up or if the iron tablet has nothing to do with it?
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66 year old husband who has always been fit and healthy developed unstable angina and within three days was fitted with a stent. This was at the end of January. Not been feeling too great since a few days after and now the doc has said he is suffering from anaemia and will have to go for a colonoscopy.
hubby cant understand this as he was never anaemic before.
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I have recently become anaemic, I suffer from uterine polyps that have been 'quiet' for about 6 years ever since menopause, however about a week ago I started bleeding heavily, the past couple of days I am so tired, wobbly on my feet and look as white as a sheet, also heartrate is up a bit, anyone out there who has experienced the same or similar? and what happened regarding treatment were you put on iron tablets etc? I know I have to see the doc and will be ringing her tomorrow but am sitting in bed fretting about it.
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I was diagnosed with copper deficiency a few months ago and sent for further investigations prior to treatment. As all scans, eye tests and liver functions were fine and no signs of copper storage or damage anywhere else as might explain the deficiency in my blood, so they have now decided that I am not deficient after all and I have not been treated.
These were my results which are all pretty low within the normal ranges (in brackets):
Copper 9.3 umol/L (normal is 12.0 - 20.0)
Free Copper <1% (<25%)
Ceruloplasmin 0.20 g/L (0.20 - 0.40)
I also have Pernicious Anaemia (B12 deficiency) and the two conditions often appear together and have similar symptoms. I have very regular B12 injections so I am happy that is under control but as there are still outstanding neurological symptoms, I am wondering if this is due to the low copper levels?
Has anybody else had similar results, please?
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I'm a mum of 6 and have had bleeding from the bottom on and off for years but never had it dealt with I was given suppositories for haemorrhoids but never took them I have been feeling really unwell lately and doc said I need to have a op to remove the haemorrhoids but after reading the posts on here im really scared but then im also worried that i am not running on all cylinders due to my low blood count what's worse operation or feeling this low its really hard as i have a family to take care off and not sure if i can deal with the recovery needed as per the stories on here is the operation really as bad or worse Than childbirth? i had 2 c sections and was ok after those but this sounds so much worse
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my son was diagnosed with B12 a year ago he got the 6 booster jabs last September he had been getting sore heads that were lasting up to 8 weeks his joints ache his shoulders and neck are really sore he was getting ear infections had 10 in last 6 months pins and needles in his hands and feet he is sleeping about 15 to 18 hours a day they started to give him 3 monthly jabs and after 6 month put him on monthly also done a blood test went back to get his second monthly jab but said his b12 levels were normal so put him back to 3 monthly but he could hardly get out of bed they have now put him back to monthly jabs which are only lasting a week if that asked if they could be given weekly the doctor said he would not be happy giving the jabs sooner he got his last jab on the 17 sep and its only lasted till yesterday the are treating him for chronic migraines and now telling me they think it is ME I am sick getting put of by doctors as my son has no life now and i was wondering if I could give him tablets in between jobs because when he first gets his b12 jabs the symptoms all disappear and he gets a week of feeling a lot better but they won't listen
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I have found reading the posts about PA very helpful, i was diagnosed early last year with PA and have injections every 3 months they have helped enormously with my symptoms, please could any one tell me about the side effects of the B12 injection, i have had various syptoms which i have just put down to the whole PA thing, but would like to know....
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I have to go for a gastroscopy and want to have sedation. Will I be allowed to as I am anaemic, Hb of 5.3. Can anyone advise me?
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I have historically had iron stores of .5 my gp said my hemoglobin levels are fine and has gave me iron supplements. He is also checking levels every three months. I am very dizzy all of the time, have shortness of breath, I have constant feeling of brain fog and often get my words mixed up. My gp says this is not a result of my low iron stores. I am really struggling is anyone else experiencing similar
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I'm suffering from exhaustion for long years.
Lately I noticed that in my blood tests there are a results that might indicate of an Anemia.
RBC-Red Blood Cells 4.46
Hemoglobin 13.4
Hematocrit 39.9
Fe - Iron 82
Ferritin 81
Are those results indicate os an Anemia?
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I have only recently started having the B12 injections. Does anyone know if you can still give blood? I used to be a regular donor but now I'm not sure if I can still give?
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I've decided that I have no other choice than to self-inject B12. I am older and don't have the same muscle tone that I used to have. I will be injecting into my thigh muscle. What would be the best sized needle for this? Would a one inch needle be ok? Anything longer might be too long if my muscles aren't what they used to be. And what guage?
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I was diagnosed with low B12 levels and further tests revealed that I had intrinsic factor.
I was given the 6 injection course and was told I would have another in 12 weeks then again and then blood tested again. 6 weeks since my last injection and my symptoms are back. Feeling vague, tired, lethargic, irritated etc. How can it be that I have intrinsic factor but obviously have low B12?
is it likely something else is going on? - any ideas/suggestions?
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I found out I had a B12 deficiency 5 years ago. My levels were very dangerously low at the cellular/functional level. I was told I was near paralysis. Now, after 5 years, they are still low. They have come up to almost borderline, but it still flags red on my tests. My serum levels though are too high for the lab to measure! Its just not getting into my cells so it's not able to be used. I do twice a week injections plus twice a month IV B12 and still it has taken my body 5 years just to go up a little bit. I feel the effects of the shot for about 15 hours barely then I just feel awful again, thankfully it's prescribed every 2 days. But I don't want to do it every 2 days forever!
In the beginning I was told it would take a month or two to get my body back to normal and then just a shot every few months for maintenance. My drs have not only increased my dose but also the frequency and STILL after all these years I'm deficient.
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Since my symptoms started over two years ago (I was 22), I have lost 70% of my hair. My iron status at the onset of symptoms:
Hemoglobin 13.5 (11.7-15.5)
Hematocrit 39.3% (25-40)
Iron, total 160 (4-175)
Ferritin 18 (10-154)
After supplementing with 150mg of elemental iron for 6 months (per a dermatologist that diagnosed me with telogen effluvium and advised that I increase my ferritin to 70-80 to stop hair loss):
Hemoglobin 13.1 (11.1-15.9)
Hematocrit 39.6 (34-46.6)
Iron, total 103 (35-155)
Ferritin 62 (13-150)
Reticulocyte count 0.6 (06-2.5)
After supplementing with 100mg of elemental iron for about a year after that:
Hemoglobin 13.9 (11.1-15.9)
Hematocrit 42.0 (34.0-46.6)
Iron, total 82 (35-155)
Ferritin 59 (15-150)
Iron saturation 28% (15-55)
TIBC 291 (250-450)
Reticulocyte count 0.4 (0.6-2.6)
I stopped taking iron supplements because I was not getting better, and because I had a few doctors tell me that I should not be on iron supplements because my hemoglobin, hematocrit, MCV, and RBCs were in the normal range. So I stopped for 3 weeks. Yesterday, I had a ferritin test done with a result of 87. This makes absolutely no sense considering I have not taken an iron supplement.
A physician I saw theorized that I could possibly have anemia of chronic disease, due to a low reticulocyte count, low TIBC and normal MCV. But that doesn't make sense to me either because although my ferritin did increase for some strange reason, it was on the low side before I started supplementing. And, my RBC, hemoglobin, and hematocrit have always been in range, and do not vary much despite supplementation.
I'm nervous that I shouldn't be supplementing with iron. In addition, my TSH (3.3), and midrange FT3 and FT4 have not changed despite supplementation--one physician theorized that maybe if I increase my ferritin levels, my thyroid levels will get better and I will stop losing my hair. Also, when I went on Naturethroid (went up to 2 grains over 6 months), my TSH decreased, but my FT3 and FT4 did as well--I felt awful.
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After noticing a recent decrease in my athletic performance, I sent a message to my doctor early last week. My primary care physician ordered blood work and sent me to a hematologist in oncology. The hematologist said it was "very unlikely" cancer and ordered more blood work. Further blood work confirmed I have iron deficiency anemia.
All my blood work was normal apart from the indices related to iron deficiency. Ferritin was low, indicating iron deficiency and not anemia of chronic disease. Bone marrow is producing a normal amount of red blood cells. I have not recently donated or lost substantial quantities of blood. I have not had any tarry stools or seen blood in my stool. A rectal exam was negative for the presence of blood. (This test involved a doctor inserting a gloved finger into my rectum and then testing the glove for blood.) I have no bruising and my blood clots normally. I have not seen any blood in my urine. I have no other ongoing health conditions.
For the last 5 years, I have run 52 miles a week. I eat very little red meat, no more than a few times a year. I do regularly eat poultry, fish, and eggs. I have had semi-frequent nose bleeds, averaging one a month, since childhood.
The hematologist put me on a high potency iron supplement -- 130mg of iron and 250mg of vitamin c per day.
All my doctors have discounted the possibility the anemia could have been caused by my running, despite there being ample evidence in medical journals that excessive exercise can lead to iron deficiency.
If it's not cancer and i'm not losing blood through my gastrointestinal tract, what is causing it? I do feel improved since starting the iron supplement on Monday, but my athletic performance is not where I'd like it to be. I don't have any further doctor visits scheduled at this time. I am to have blood work in 1-2 months to test my iron levels again.
My blood work is below:
IRON 24
TOTAL IRON BINDING CAPACITY 380
IRON/TOTAL IRON BINDING CAPACITY 6%
FERRITIN 5.6
VIT B12 549
FOLATE 17.62
RETICULOCYTE COUNT, ABSOLUTE 2.5
WBC'S AUTO3.4
RBC, AUTO4.52
HGB 10.6
HEMATOCRIT34.2
MCV 75.6
MCH 23.5
MCHC 31.0
RDW, BLOOD18.0
PLATELETS, AUTOMATED COUNT 206
MPV 8.7
CHOLESTEROL 127
HDL 43
CHOLESTEROL, NON-HDL 84
TRIGLYCERIDE 48
LDL 74
HGBA1C 5.4
GLUCOSE POST FAST 87
BUN 21
CREATININE1.2
TOTAL PROTEIN6.6
ALBUMIN 4.8
GLOBULIN1.8
ALBUMIN/GLOBULIN RATIO, SERUM/PLASMA 2.7
CALCIUM 9.4
AST 21
ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE 51
BILIRUBIN, TOTAL 0.8
LDH 157
PHOSPHATE, BLD, QN 4.2
URIC ACID5.3
TSH,BLD,QN1.680
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I've just heard from my GPS surgery that my most recent blood test shows I have virtually no iron! As I have several autoimmune diseases including autoimmune hepatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, SLE (lupus), Raynauds, Sjogrens, acquired autoimmune hypothyroidism) , I'm rather afraid that this could be pernicious anaemia or hemolytic anaemia, as I've never had a low iron level until now. I was taken off methotrexate due to respiratory problems (side effect) and am on prednisone 25mg/day. Does anyone have any experience of sudden iron deficiency please?
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I had a baby back in April 2014 at which time my other labs were within normal limits except for my Hgb and Hct (7 and 24 I believe). I recently followed up with my primary care doctor for symptoms of chest pain, shortness of breath (especially with exertion), and the biggest symptom- extreme fatigue. When I get up in the morning I feel like I've never slept, and by the afternoon I feel like I need to go back to bed for the rest of the day. I realize I have a 3, almost 4 month old baby, but she sleeps through the night for the most part, so it's not like I'm not sleeping at all through the night. I had labs drawn last week and the main results were as follows:
Ferritin, Serum- 7 (15-150)
TIBC- 415 (250-450)
UIBC- 368 (150-375)
iron saturation- 11 (15-55 %)
iron, serum- 47 (35-155)
rbc- 4.93 (3.77-5.28)
hemoglobin- 11.5 (11.1-15.9)
hematocrit- 37.5 (34.0-46.6)
mcv- 76 (79-97)
mch- 23.3 (26.6-33.0)
mchc- 30.7 (31.5-35.7)
rdw- 17.1 (12.3-15.4)
platelets- 317
WBCs, Thyroid, B12, and HgA1C all looked good. From what I've read, it seems that I may have iron deficiency, but because the hemoglobin and hematocrit are within normal limits it is not classified as anemia. What I don't understand is I just spoke with my Dr. office, and the nurse said the doctor checked off my lab results and didn't put a note in that she needed to see me for a follow-up. The nurse asked me if I had any concerns about my lab results. I guess I'm just not sure if my lab results are "off" enough to be causing my symptoms, or if something else is going on. Should I be started on iron supplements? I'm just not sure where to go from here.
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