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.
The effects of low iron are widely varied from one person to another because this essential nutrient has many different roles in the body. For example, there's a strong connection between iron deficiency and muscle pain because iron is needed to help muscles grow, develop, and function properly.
In addition to nerve-related pain, low iron also causes muscles to fatigue easier due to a lack of sustained oxygenation of muscle (the myoglobulin protein that holds oxygen in muscle is iron dependent), in turn causing muscle pain4. Iron-rich hemoglobin carries oxygen to body tissues that need to repair.
Wilson et al. reported that patients with RA and anemia have more severe joint symptoms, such as joint swelling, pain, and tenderness [7]. However, when anemia is successfully treated, joint symptoms are likely to improve from the treatment [7].
When iron 'gets in' to the joints, regardless of venesection, it can't 'get out', which means the joint and joint tissues cannot heal. This is why early detection is so important. Joint damage from haemochromatosis does not tend to disappear – it's degenerative, even if iron levels return to normal with treatment.
The effect of iron deficiency on bone health was addressed in several animal studies [104]. These studies revealed that severe nutritional iron restriction causes unbalanced bone turnover, leading eventually to bone weakening, characterized by low BMD and decreased bone mineral content [110,111,112].
Key Points. Acute pain in multiple joints is most often due to inflammation, gout, or the beginning or flare up of a chronic joint disorder. Chronic pain in multiple joints is usually due to osteoarthritis or an inflammatory disorder (such as rheumatoid arthritis) or, in children, juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
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.
Severe anemia may cause painful lower leg cramps during exercise, shortness of breath, and chest pain, especially if people already have impaired blood circulation in the legs or certain types of lung or heart disease.
As the name implies, iron deficiency anemia is due to insufficient iron. Without enough iron, your body can't produce enough of a substance in red blood cells that enables them to carry oxygen (hemoglobin). As a result, iron deficiency anemia may leave you tired and short of breath.
Severe iron deficiency anaemia may increase your risk of developing complications that affect the heart or lungs, such as an abnormally fast heartbeat (tachycardia) or heart failure, where your heart is unable to pump enough blood around your body at the right pressure.
You may feel tired, weak and irritable. Iron deficiency has also been associated with restless legs syndrome and fibromyalgia.
Reduced oxygen supply to muscles
Previous studies showed that anemia is a risk factor for reduced muscular strength because oxygen is captured by iron in red blood cells and less oxygen reaches the body's tissues in a person with anemia. Muscles are weakened by impaired oxygenation.
Ferritin is a blood protein that contains iron. A ferritin test helps your doctor understand how much iron your body stores. If a ferritin test reveals that your blood ferritin level is lower than normal, it indicates your body's iron stores are low and you have iron deficiency. As a result, you could be anemic.
Ferritin had a strong positive correlation with both BMI (r = 0.86, P < 0.001) and CRP (r = 0.87, P < 0.001) and strong negative correlation with Hb, iron, TIBC, and transferrin saturation (P < 0.001). Conclusion. Ferritin is a marker of inflammation rather than iron status in overweight and obese people.
Extreme fatigue and exhaustion “Fatigue is one of the most common signs of iron deficiency because it means your body is having trouble carrying the oxygen to your cells so it's affecting your energy levels,” Thayer says. People lacking enough iron in their blood often feel sluggish, weak, and unable to focus.
Possible Causes
The most common causes of chronic pain in joints are: Osteoarthritis, a common type of arthritis, happens over time when the cartilage, the protective cushion in between the bones, wears away. The joints become painful and stiff. Osteoarthritis develops slowly and usually occurs during middle age.
Do you know that one of the most vital nutrients that promote bone health is Vitamin D? Yes, multiple studies show that a deficiency of this vitamin can lead to joint pain and swelling. As Vitamin D is required for bone building and bone health, therefore a deficiency of it will negatively affect the bones.
A wide range of conditions can lead to painful joints: Osteoarthritis, a “wear and tear” disease, is the most common type of arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder that happens when your body attacks its own tissues. Bursitis is when sacs of fluid that help cushion your joints get inflamed.
Iron deficiency anemia — the most common type of anemia — also occurs in people with inflammatory arthritis. It is caused by a shortage of iron in both body tissues and blood. Your bone marrow needs iron to make hemoglobin; without adequate iron, your body can't produce enough hemoglobin for red blood cells.
– 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.
Accordingly, iron deficiency may have important effects on muscle function, oxidative energy metabolism, immune, and nervous system [15, 16]. Previous experimental animal studies revealed that iron deficiency, independent from anemia, causes functional impairments of skeletal muscle [17, 18].
The body uses its stored iron in the muscles, liver, spleen, and bone marrow. But when levels of iron stored in the body become low, iron deficiency anemia sets in. Red blood cells become smaller and contain less hemoglobin. As a result, blood carries less oxygen from the lungs throughout the body.
Iron and its homeostasis are intimately tied to the inflammatory response. The adaptation to iron deficiency, which confers resistance to infection and improves the inflammatory condition, underlies what is probably the most obvious link: the anemia of inflammation or chronic disease.