Low levels of hemoglobin prevent adequate oxygen from reaching the brain. Blood vessels swell, blood pressure drops, and it can result in headaches, neurological issues, and vertigo. Small exertions can cause shortness of breath or fainting spells.
If you are severely anemic, you may have shortness of breath, chest discomfort, palpations, or feel faint like you are going to pass out.
Treatment for iron-deficiency anemia will depend on its cause and severity. Treatments may include dietary changes and supplements, medicines, and surgery. 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.
Persistent fatigue, breathlessness, rapid heart rate, pale skin, or any other symptoms of anemia; seek emergency care for any trouble breathing or change in your heart beat.
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.
In many cases, mild iron deficiency anemia comes on so gradually that you may not even know you're anemic. Symptoms of mild anemia are subtle and include feeling grumpy, weak or tired more often than usual and getting headaches or perhaps having problems concentrating.
This can be caused by a variety of conditions, some of which are very serious. If you faint, even for a few seconds, you should visit one of Emergency Hospital System's emergency rooms as soon as possible to be evaluated by one of our physicians.
After they regain consciousness, they may feel confused, dizzy or ill for a while but recover fairly soon. A person who faints usually will not suffer any long-term health effects. However, we recommend that you see your doctor after a fainting spell.
If you have anemia, your body does not get enough oxygen-rich blood. The lack of oxygen can make you feel tired or weak. You may also have shortness of breath, dizziness, headaches, or an irregular heartbeat.
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.
In general, patients with iron deficient anemia should manifest a response to iron with reticulocytosis in three to seven days, followed by an increase in hemoglobin in 2-4 weeks.
Specifically, iron plays an important role in how your body makes the neurotransmitters called serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine – all of them important in mental health. Research suggests a connection between low iron levels and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia, Levin and Gattari write.
Our study shows a significantl positive correlation between sleep quality and iron supplement intake (p <0.17). A deficiency in iron has an effect on sleep quality, quantity and timing; iron also affects the modulation of REM sleep.
Iron is lost from the body through sweat, shedding intestinal cells, and blood loss. About one third of the world's population is iron deficient.
The type of headache a person experiences as a result of iron-deficiency anemia can vary. Some people will experience a dull aching sensation throughout their head. They may also feel lightheaded or dizzy. A migraine episode will feel different.
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. Some symptoms may also give clues to the cause of the anemia.
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).
One of the best ways to manage anemia-related fatigue is to try and get sufficient sleep. However, you will want to avoid sleeping too much because that will add to fatigue. Instead, aim to get seven to nine hours of sleep every night. Naps are fine but limit yourself to one short 20- to 30-minute nap a day.
If you're with someone who has fainted, try to keep calm. If you can, lay them on their back and raise their legs. If they're pregnant (especially if they're more than 28 weeks pregnant), it's better to lay them on their side. Usually, the person who has fainted will wake up within 20 seconds.
Reflex syncope is the result of a reflex response to some trigger, in which the heart slows or blood vessels dilate (widen). This causes blood pressure to drop, so less blood flows to the brain and fainting (syncope) or near-fainting (pre-syncope) occurs. Reflex syncope is the most frequent cause of fainting.
Many different conditions can cause fainting. These include heart problems such as irregular heart beats, seizures, low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), anemia (a deficiency in healthy oxygen carrying cells), and problems with how the nervous system regulates blood pressure. Some types of fainting seem to run in families.