Not many people know the warning signs of anemia, despite the fact that iron-deficiency anemia is one of the most common forms of the subtle and quiet disease. Your body needs iron, and it is essential to the making of healthy red blood cells. Without iron, your body has trouble making the blood cells – which means that loss of blood from a cut or a woman’s menstrual cycle can cause complications.
Not to mention, being anemic in and of itself, even without blood loss, can cause trouble in one’s day to day lives. “Bleeding is one of the most prominent causes of iron deficiency, because when you bleed you lose red blood cells that contain iron,” says professor of medicine Dr. Allen Nissenson.
Therefore, knowing the signs of anemia can put everyone ahead of the curve and make sure that getting the proper diagnosis and treatment early on will prevent any complications.
HERE ARE EIGHT WARNING SIGNS OF ANEMIA
1. FATIGUE
According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, “The most common symptom of all types of anemia is fatigue (tiredness). Fatigue occurs because your body doesn’t have enough red blood cells to carry oxygen to its many parts.”
A lot of people feel fatigue for a number of reasons: stress, sickness, other illnesses. But the fatigue that people who are anemic feel is much different than the fatigue one might feel after a restless night’s sleep. People who are anemic often report feeling exhausted 24/7. If the tired, sluggish feeling is affecting your quality of life, anemia might be the culprit, and a doctor’s visit is in order.
2. PALE MEMBRANES
The mucous membranes over your eyes are a great indicator of whether or not someone is suffering from anemia. To locate it, look for the waterline that’s above your lower lash line. This is an area that’s full of veins, and should be pumping healthy blood through them. If the waterline beneath your lower lashes looks extremely pale, this could be a sign you’re not getting enough blood – thus, anemia.
3. TROUBLE CATCHING YOUR BREATH
“Most people with anemia are comfortable sitting still. However, they often feel dyspnea during physical activity because the blood cannot deliver the increased oxygen the body requires. Thus, they breathe rapidly and deeply in a reflex effort to try to increase the amount of oxygen in the blood,” says Associate Professor of Medicine and Director Noah Lechtzin, MD, MHS.
Therefore, if a short climb up the stairs winds you, or if you feel like you just can’t catch your breath after a brief exercise, this is a sign that your body isn’t getting the oxygen that it needs through healthy red blood cells. Along with this, dizziness and feeling light-headed are also signs that your body isn’t getting enough oxygen through your blood cells.
4. ANXIETY
If you already suffer from an anxiety disorder, it may be hard to pinpoint exactly whether or not this applies to you. However, if you’ve recently developed anxiety symptoms such as a racing heart, anemia may be the culprit. The reason being, is that your blood is pumping harder and faster, trying to get more oxygen. The feeling that results is one of a racing heart – anxious feelings with no anxious thoughts.
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