Low Iron Symptoms

The purpose of this article is to make a comprehensive list of low iron symptoms, which people may experience in different developmental stages and conditions. If symptoms of disorders and diseases are recognized early, there are chances of faster recovery with minimum damage. Let me briefly review the role played by iron in the human body, before listing the symptoms indicating iron deficiency.

Role of Iron
Iron plays a very important role in the human anatomy at the cellular level. Iron is a prime component of hemoglobin (Carrier of Oxygen and Carbon dioxide), which in turn is a component of the red blood cells. Iron is involved in many such crucial cellular level anatomical processes. One of the diseases which low iron can lead to is iron deficiency anemia. So considering the role that iron plays in body, maintaining an adequate supply of iron through diet is important. Total body iron content averages to roughly 3.8 g in healthy men and 2.3 g in healthy women.

Iron deficiency symptoms can manifest differently in children, men and women. This is a list of crucial iron deficiency symptoms in various developmental stages in humans. In most cases, iron deficiency symptoms overlap with symptoms of iron deficiency anemia.

Iron Deficiency Symptoms in Children

Newborns have about 500 milligrams of iron in their body. As they grow and approach adulthood they need about 5000 milligrams of iron for smooth functioning of their body functions. Children are in need of about 1 mg of iron per day. Since their bodies can absorb only about 10% of iron everyday, children must receive about 10 mg of iron every day, through their diet. These are some of the symptoms of iron deficiency in toddlers and older children:

• Overall weakness
• Strange food cravings (for non-food materials especially)
• Breathlessness
• Blood in feces
• Brittle nails
• Pale white eyes with a blue tinge sometimes
• Pale skin color
• Chronic irritability

These are the symptoms of low iron, which parents should watch out for in children. Proper treatment should be immediately started after consultation with a physician, if any of these symptoms are observed. Rapid action is necessary in case of low iron symptoms in children, as delay will cause permanent damage.

Iron Deficiency Symptoms in Women

Iron deficiency symptoms in women are presented here. Symptoms indicative of iron deficiency during pregnancy in women need to be closely monitored as they are in need of three times more iron than that normally required. Here are some of the conspicuous symptoms indicative of low iron levels in women:

• Paleness
• Headaches
• Breathlessness during exercise
• Cold hands and feet
• Fast heartbeat
• Brittle nails
• Poor healing of wounds
• Excessive menstrual bleeding
• Fragile bones
• Unusual craving for non-food substances.

These low blood iron symptoms in women may not be seen collectively. The symptoms may differ, but if any one of them persists, better consult a physician immediately. The prime cause of iron deficiency in women can be increased loss of iron through menstrual bleeding. It may also crop up in pregnancy because of the increased iron requirement for breast feeding.

Iron Deficiency Symptoms in Men

This sub-section details iron deficiency symptoms seen in men. Here they are:

• Depression
• Fatigue
• Listlessness
• Poor Memory
• Appetite loss
• Leg cramps
• Dizziness
• Breathlessness
• Upward curvature of nails
• Sour mouth with corner cracks
• Difficulty swallowing
• Asthmatic tendency
• Hair loss
• Chronic bladder infection

As I said before, these are symptoms of low iron in men, but they may not be seen or experienced collectively. If any one of these symptoms crop up, it's advisable that you visit a physician. Low blood iron symptoms in men who are athletes, may be caused due to poor diet, loss of iron through sweat and urine or gastrointestinal blood loss.

The disease which low iron level symptoms primarily point to is iron deficiency anemia. To prevent the occurrence of low iron levels, obviously, iron rich foods are recommended. Most of the diseases, other than pathogenic ones, are caused by excess or deficiency of some nutrients or minerals. A planned balanced diet is essential in order to be healthy. Plan your diet according to your body requirements. Knowing about things like low iron symptoms always helps. This goes a long way in treating a disease right at the onset. So eat healthy, listen to your body and stay informed about health issues!