Iron is one of the most important nutrients for hair growth and a healthy scalp. Want to hold on to those luscious locks? Keep your iron levels in check. That’s why it’s so important to keep a close eye on your overall health, so you can catch the symptoms of iron deficiency - like the 15 you’re about to learn about - before they snowball into an even worse condition, like anemia or heart failure. Symptoms like fatigue, cold hands, or pale skin might just feel like another day in the life. But here’s the catch: a lot of your body’s warning signs are hard to spot. Your body will tell you when it’s low on oxygen. When your iron levels drop, so do your hemoglobin levels, which means there’s less oxygen to be passed around. These hemoglobin-packed cells are responsible for carrying oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.Įvery organ, tissue, and muscle in your body needs oxygen to function properly. It helps produce red blood cells that hold a protein called hemoglobin. But iron deficiency is a serious condition that can have major long-term effects on your health. It’s easy to brush off a lot of these symptoms like they’re nothing. That’s why, when your iron is low, the symptoms can show up in all sorts of strange places. Every part of your body needs it to function - from your head down. Tania Elliott, a clinical instructor of medicine at NYU Langone Health in New York.Ever feel like you’re constantly cold? Forever yawning? Always finding bruises that seem to appear out of nowhere ? There might be one thing to blame for it all: low iron. “If your symptoms arise out of the blue, as in, you never had issues before, and then suddenly you start bleeding easily, it’s important to seek medical attention,” said Dr. But unexplained bruises on the abdomen, back or face are more likely to signal an underlying condition.Īnother potential cause for concern is bruising that Unexplained bruises can be nothing to worry about - especially bruises on the arms and legs, since many people knock into things without remembering they’ve done it. Them more prone to breaking, and heavy drinking will lead to bruising as well. Aarthi Anand, a geriatrician and family medicine practitioner in Los Angeles.Īlcohol causes blood vessels to relax and expand, making “It is important to seek medical attention if significant bruising occurs, since in some cases it can reveal health issues,” said Dr. Other ailments that can impair the blood’s clotting ability are chronic inflammatory diseases, such as lupus and cancers such as Hodgkin’s disease, leukemia or multiple myeloma. Size up your vitaminsĬertain vitamin deficiencies, such as a lack of vitamin K, can be an explanation.Ī deficiency of vitamin K, found in green leafy vegetables, could indicate a more serious issue such as inflammatory bowel disease or celiac disease.ĭeficiencies of vitamins B12 or C or of folic acid also can affect bruising.Ĩ potential causes for the metallic taste in your mouth Steroids such as prednisone and hydrocortisone, which might be prescribed to treat allergi e s, asthma or eczema, thin out the skin and can lead to easy bruising.Īntidepressants also can lower the blood-platelet count, leaving fewer cells for clotting purposes. Taking aspirin regularly - which some people do to lower the risk of heart attack or stroke - can lead to bruising as well.īlood thinners prescribed to lower the chances of developing blood clots can cause black-and-blue marks, as can clopidogrel, a drug some seniors take to help prevent heart disease and strokes. Over-the-counter anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen and naproxen affect the blood’s ability to congeal or coagulate. Some bruising can be traced to ordinary medications people take every day. Older people bruise more easily, as aging skin becomes thinner and loses some of the protective fatty layer underneath that helps cushion blood vessels from injury.īlood vessels also lose some elasticity over time, while skin damage from sun exposure can cause blood vessels to break easily as well. Bruises start out blue or purple, as the blood loses oxygen, and they turn yellow or green from compounds called biliverdin and bilirubin that the body produces when it breaks down hemoglobin.
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