Symptoms:

You may have no symptoms if the anemia is mild.

Most of the time, symptoms are mild at first and develop slowly. Symptoms may include:

• Feeling grumpy
• Feeling weak or tired more often than usual, or with exercise
• Headaches
• Problems concentrating or thinking

As the anemia gets worse, symptoms may include:

• Blue color to the whites of the eyes
• Brittle nails
• Light-headedness when you stand up
• Pale skin color
• Shortness of breath
• Sore tongue

Symptoms of the conditions that cause iron deficiency anemia include:

• Dark, tar-colored stools or blood
• Heavy menstrual bleeding (women)
• Pain in the upper belly (from ulcers)
• Weight loss (in people with cancer)

Signs and tests:

To diagnose anemia, your doctor may order these blood tests:

• Hematocrit and hemoglobin (red blood cell measures)
• RBC indices

Tests to check iron levels in your blood include:

• Bone marrow exam (rare)
• Iron binding capacity (TIBC) in the blood
• Serum ferritin
• Serum iron level

Tests that may be done to look for the cause of iron deficiency:

• Colonoscopy
• Fecal occult blood test
• Upper endoscopy