Headache Irregular heartbeat. This is a sign of more serious iron-deficiency anemia. Pica , which are unusual cravings for nonfood items, such as ice, dirt, paint, or starch. Restless legs syndrome Shortness of breath Weakness.
Undiagnosed or untreated iron-deficiency anemia may cause the following complications: Depression Heart problems. If you do not have enough hemoglobin-carrying red blood cells, your heart has to work harder to move oxygen-rich blood through your body.
Cells in tissues need a steady supply of oxygen to work well. Normally, hemoglobin in red blood cells takes up oxygen in the lungs and carries it to all the tissues of the body. When your heart has to work harder, this can lead to several conditions: irregular heartbeats called arrhythmias , a heart murmur , an enlarged heart, or even heart failure. Increased risk of infections Motor or cognitive development delays in children Pregnancy complications, such as preterm delivery or giving birth to a baby with low birth weight In people with chronic conditions, iron-deficiency anemia can make their condition worse or result in treatments not working as well.
Diagnosis will discuss any procedures used to detect signs of iron-deficiency anemia and help rule out other types of anemia. Treatment will explain treatment-related complications or side effects. Diagnosis - Iron-Deficiency Anemia. Physical exam. Your doctor may ask about your medical history and any symptoms you are experiencing, and do a physical exam to look for any of the following signs that may help diagnose iron-deficiency anemia: Check for bleeding.
Look to see whether your tongue, nails, or inner lining of your eyelids are pale. Check your fingernails to see whether they are pale or brittle, and how quickly they refill with blood.
Listen to your heart for rapid or irregular heartbeats. Listen to your lungs for rapid or uneven breathing. Feel your abdomen to check the size of your liver and spleen.
Blood tests. Based on results from blood tests to screen for iron-deficiency anemia, your doctor may order the following blood tests to diagnose iron-deficiency anemia: Complete blood count CBC to see if you have lower than normal red blood cell counts, hemoglobin or hematocrit levels, or mean corpuscular volume MCV that would suggest anemia.
Iron to measure the amount of iron in your blood. The level of iron in your blood may be normal even if the total amount of iron in your body is low. For this reason, other iron tests are also done.
Ferritin is a protein that helps store iron in your body. Reticulocyte count to see if you have lower than normal numbers of these very young red blood cells. Peripheral smear to see if your red blood cells look smaller and paler than normal when viewed under a microscope.
Different tests help your doctor diagnose iron-deficiency anemia. Normal levels are 40 to for men and 20 to for women. More testing may be needed to rule out other types of anemia.
Tests for gastrointestinal bleeding. Fecal occult blood test to check for blood in the stool. Blood in the stool would suggest bleeding in the GI tract and may require further testing. Upper endoscopy to look for bleeding in the esophagus, stomach, and the first part of the small intestine. A tube with a tiny camera is inserted through your mouth down to your stomach and upper small intestine to view the lining of your upper digestive tract.
Colonoscopy to look for bleeding or other abnormalities, such as growths or cancer of the lining of the colon. For this test, a small camera is inserted into the colon under sedation to view the colon directly.
What if my doctor thinks something else is causing my iron-deficiency anemia? To find the cause of your iron-deficiency anemia, your doctor may order additional tests: Inflammation marker tests may help your doctor determine if inflammation is causing iron-deficiency anemia. Blood tests allow your doctor to look at the amount of other nutrients in your blood, such as vitamin B12 or folic acid.
Visit our Pernicious Anemia Health Topic to learn more. Bone marrow tests help your doctor see whether your bone marrow is healthy and making new blood cells. Visit our Aplastic Anemia Health Topic to learn more. Return to Causes to review how blood loss, not consuming the recommended amount of iron, and medical conditions can lead to iron-deficiency anemia.
Return to Risk Factors to review family history, lifestyle, unhealthy environments, or other factors that increase your risk of developing iron-deficiency anemia. Return to Signs, Symptoms, and Complications to review common signs and symptoms of iron-deficiency anemia.
Return to Screening and Prevention to review tests to screen for and strategies to prevent iron-deficiency anemia. Treatment - Iron-Deficiency Anemia. Iron supplements. If iron supplements alone are not able to replenish the levels of iron in your body, your doctor may recommend a procedure, including: Iron therapy, or intravenous IV iron. This is sometimes used to deliver iron through a blood vessel to increase iron levels in the blood.
One benefit of IV iron is that it often takes only one or a few sessions to replenish the amount of iron in your body. People with severe iron-deficiency anemia or who have chronic conditions such as kidney disease or celiac disease may be more likely to receive IV iron.
You may experience vomiting, headache, or other side effects right after the IV iron, but these usually go away within a day or two.
Red blood cell transfusions. These may be used for people with severe iron-deficiency anemia to quickly increase the amount of red blood cells and iron in the blood. Your doctor may recommend this if you have serious complications of iron-deficiency anemia, such as chest pain. Surgery, upper endoscopy or colonoscopy, to stop bleeding. Healthy lifestyle changes. To help you meet your daily recommended iron levels, your doctor may recommend that you: Adopt healthy lifestyle changes such as heart-healthy eating patterns.
Increase your daily intake of iron-rich foods to help treat your iron-deficiency anemia. See Prevention strategies to learn about foods that are high in iron. It is important to know that increasing your intake of iron may not be enough to replace the iron your body normally stores but has used up.
Increase your intake of vitamin C to help your body absorb iron. Avoid drinking black tea, which reduces iron absorption. Other treatments. Living With will discuss what your doctor may recommend, including lifelong lifestyle changes and medical care to prevent your condition from recurring, getting worse, or causing complications. Research for Your Health will discuss how we are using current research and advancing research to treat people with iron-deficiency anemia.
Iron deficiency is common in menstruating and pregnant women, children, and others with a diet history of excessive cow's milk or low iron-containing foods. By talking with your doctor about your diet and medical history, your doctor may gain enough information to determine whether additional testing is needed. In patients such as men, postmenopausal women, or younger women with severe anemia, the doctor may recommend additional testing. These tests may include the following:.
Sometimes it is difficult to diagnose the cause of iron deficiency, or your doctor may be concerned that there is a problem other than iron deficiency causing the anemia. These may include inherited blood disorders called thalassemiasin which red blood cells also appear small and pale, hemoglobinopathies such as sickle cell disease but not sickle cell trait alone , or other blood disorders.
People with chronic infections or conditions such as kidney failure, autoimmune diseases, and inflammatory disorders may also have small red blood cells. When the cause of the anemia is not clear, your doctor may refer you to a hematologist, a medical specialist in blood disorders,for consultation and further evaluation. Even if the cause of the iron deficiency can be identified and treated, it is still usually necessary to take medicinal iron more iron than a multivitamin can provide until the deficiency is corrected and the body's iron stores are replenished.
In some cases, if the cause cannot be identified or corrected, the patient may have to receive supplemental iron on an ongoing basis. The amount of iron needed to treat patients with iron deficiency is higher than the amount found in most daily multivitamin supplements.
The amount of iron prescribed by your doctor will be in milligrams mg of elemental iron. Most people with iron deficiency need mg per day of elemental iron 2 to 5 mg of iron per kilogram of body weight per day. Ask your doctor how many milligrams of iron you should be taking per day. If you take vitamins, bring them to your doctor's visit to be sure. There is no evidence that any one type of iron salt, liquid, or pill is better than the others, and the amount of elemental iron varies with different preparations.
To be sure of the amount of iron in a product, check the packaging. In addition to elemental iron, the iron salt content ferrous sulfate, fumarate, or gluconate may also be listed on the package, which can make it confusing for consumers to know how many tablets or how much liquid to take to get the proper dosage of iron. Iron is absorbed in the small intestine duodenum and first part of the jejunum.
This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Diagnosis To diagnose anemia, your doctor is likely to ask you about your medical and family history, perform a physical exam, and run the following tests: Complete blood count CBC. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Iron deficiency anemia.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Accessed May 29, Anemia testing. Lab Tests Online. Means RT, et al.
Diagnostic approach to anemia in adults. These treatments may include observation, iron supplementation, medications, surgery, or even cancer treatment. Anemia is a condition where your blood does not have enough red blood cells or hemoglobin.
There are many forms of anemia, including:. Anemia varies in severity and duration. Because anemia has an underlying cause, prompt diagnosis and treatment are very important. Common symptoms of anemia include fatigue, irritability, headaches and difficulty concentrating. Your doctor may detect a heart murmur or a sudden drop in blood pressure when you stand.
A blood test will provide counts of your white blood cells , red blood cells and platelets. If you have anemia, more tests may determine its type and whether it has a serious cause.
These tests may include:. Your doctor may use more tests to search for the cause of your anemia. If blood loss is a concern, your doctor may use endoscopy to examine your upper digestive system for signs of bleeding. You also may undergo colonoscopy to look for bleeding tumors , and other problems in the large intestine. Cell and bone marrow samples can supply clues to abnormal or lower red blood cell production.
Anemia is a broad medical topic.
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