Low Iron Levels Symptoms: 8 Unusual Signs Should Know

Low iron levels symptoms: If you become breathless after doing regular activities like walking, or brushing your teeth, then you have an iron deficiency problem.

Iron is one of the essential minerals that your body requires to function optimally. This mineral is responsible for producing red blood cells. The human body requires iron to make a protein called hemoglobin, which is found in red blood cells.

Hemoglobin helps carry oxygen throughout the body. In fact, 70% of the iron consumed by you is utilized for this purpose only. Due to this reason, your body requires the proper level of iron.

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Iron level range chart

To check the iron level in your body need to do a CBC (complete blood count) test. For your reference below table shows the Normal serum Iron Range and hemoglobin range.

Age / Gender	Normal serum Iron Range	Normal hemoglobin range
Adult males	55 – 160 µg/dL	13.5 – 17.5 g/dL
Adult females	40 – 155 µg/dL	12.0 – 15.5 g/dL

Iron deficiency causes

One of the main causes of iron deficiency is people not getting enough nutrients from their diet. The reason behind it is they love to eat unhealthy food. While many health concerns people restrict their diets and avoid certain foods that cause iron deficiency too.

Most of the women suffer from low iron levels because of their monthly blood loss through the menstrual cycle. The woman also needs more iron while they are pregnant. Hence they need to increase their iron intake.

Men and post-menopausal women may have also low iron levels symptoms if they suffer from a gastrointestinal problem such as peptic ulcers that cause blood loss through their gut.

Whatever the reason for the low level of iron in your body but you may suffer from various health issues that can affect your life.

Symptoms of low iron levels

The following are the important signs and symptoms of low iron levels, which you will notice in case of iron deficiency.

1. Feeling Tiredness

Feeling very tired is one of the most common symptoms of low iron levels. It’s affecting more than half of those people who are deficient in iron. The reason behind it, less oxygen reaches your tissues and muscles, depriving them of energy.

In addition, your heart needs to work harder to move forward more oxygen-rich blood around your body, which can make you tired.

2. Pale skin and nail

Due to low levels of iron, your hemoglobin levels decrease; this is responsible for the red color of your blood. Less carrying of oxygenated cells through the body may decrease skin nutrients.

That’s why your skin and nail can lose their natural rosy color and you get the pale nail and skin.

3. Shortness of Breath:

Hemoglobin enables your red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body. When hemoglobin is low in your body, the oxygen levels will also be below. So the body is not able to transport required oxygen to muscles and tissues for normal activities, such as walking.

As a result, your breathing rate will increase, as your body tries to get more oxygen. Therefore, shortness of breath is commonly found in an iron-deficient person.

4. Headaches and Dizziness:

Headaches and dizziness could be symptoms of low iron levels. The lack of hemoglobin means not enough oxygen reaches the brain, causing its blood vessels to swell, and causing pressure and headaches.

5. Cold hands and feet:

A low level of iron means less oxygen is being delivered to the hands and feet. Some people may feel the cold more easily in general, or have cold hands and feet. So cold hands and feet may indicate you have low iron levels symptoms in your body.

6. Pale Yellow or White Insides Lower Eyelid:

The insides of your lower eyelids are usually pink or red in color because of healthy blood flow. But in the case of iron deficiency, this area becomes pale yellow or white due to less blood flow throughout the body.

7. Irregular Heart Palpitations:

If your red blood cells do not have enough hemoglobin, they cannot adequately oxygenate your body. This increases the workload of your heart, so your heart has to pump extra fast, to cope up with the increased demand for oxygen, which leads to irregular palpitations. It indicates the symptoms of low iron levels in your body.

8. Dry Skin and Increased Hair Fall:

When your body is under an oxygen crisis, it immediately shunts all the blood to the vital organs, cut off supply to the less-important parts like the skin and hair follicles. And since your blood also carries nutrients irons with it along with oxygen, this reduced blood supply soon manifests as dry skin and increased hair fall.