Home > Medical Reference > Patient Education

Anemia - Symptoms

Description

An in-depth report on the types, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of anemia.

Alternative Names

Iron deficiency; Pernicious anemia

Symptoms:

Symptoms of anemia vary depending on the severity of the condition. Anemia may occur without symptoms and be detected only during a medical examination that includes a blood test. When they occur, symptoms may include:

Weakness and fatigue are the most common symptoms of anemia. Even iron deficiency without anemia can reduce working capacity in some people.
Shortness of breath on exertion
Rapid heartbeat
Lightheadedness or dizziness
Headache
Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
Irritability and other mood disturbances
Pale skin (however, healthy-looking skin color does not rule out anemia if a patient has risk factors and other symptoms of anemia)
Mental confusion
Loss of sexual drive

Unusual Symptoms

Pica. One odd symptom, which in some cases is also a cause of iron deficiency, is pica. This is the habit of eating unusual substances, such as ice (called pagophagia), clay, cardboard, foods that crunch (such as raw potatoes, carrots, or celery), or raw starch. The pica often stops, particularly in children, when iron supplements are given. Pica is difficult to detect because patients are often ashamed to admit to such cravings.

Frequent Breath Holding. Children who hold their breath frequently when angry or upset, even to the point of fainting, may be iron-deficient.

Symptoms of Megaloblastic Anemia and its Causes

Symptoms of Megaloblastic Anemia. The symptoms of megaloblastic anemia from vitamin B12 or folic acid deficiencies include not only standard anemic symptoms but also:

Inflammation of the mouth (stomatitis)
Inflammation of the tongue (glossitis), which involves shrinkage at the surface and edges of the tongue

Over time, psychiatric and neurologic problems develop. Vitamin B12 deficiencies cause neurologic symptoms (numbness and tingling, depression, memory loss, and irritability), and folate deficiency may result in depression and dementia (in severe cases).

Symptoms of Pernicious Anemia. Early neurologic symptoms of pernicious anemia are due to B12 deficiency. They include numbness and tingling, depression, memory loss, and irritability. Advanced nerve damage can cause loss of balance and staggering, confusion, dementia, spasticity, loss of bladder control, and erectile dysfunction. Folic acid deficiency does not cause neurologic damage, although people with this deficiency can be irritable, forgetful, and experience personality changes.

Resources

www.anemia.org -- National Anemia Action Council
www.nhlbi.nih.gov -- National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
www.irondisorders.org -- Iron Disorders Institute
www.thalassemia.org -- Cooley's Anemia Foundation
www.aamds.org -- Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation
http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/anemia -- National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Clearinghouse (Anemia in kidney disease and dialysis)

References

Alleyne M, Horne MK, Miller JL. Individualized treatment for iron-deficiency anemia in adults. Am J Med. 2008 Nov;121(11):943-8.

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 95: anemia in pregnancy. Obstet Gynecol. 2008 Jul;112(1):201-7.

Antony AC. Megaloblastic anemias. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 170.

Bennett CL, Silver SM, Djulbegovic B, Samaras AT, Blau CA, Gleason KJ, et al. Venous thromboembolism and mortality associated with recombinant erythropoietin and darbepoetin administration for the treatment of cancer-associated anemia. JAMA. 2008 Feb 27;299(8):914-24.

Brotanek JM, Gosz J, Weitzman M, Flores G. Iron deficiency in early childhood in the United States: risk factors and racial/ethnic disparities. Pediatrics. 2007 Sep;120(3):568-75.

Ginder GD. Microcytic and hypochromic anemias. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 163.

Groenveld HF, Januzzi JL, Damman K, van Wijngaarden J, Hillege HL, van Veldhuisen DJ, et al. Anemia and mortality in heart failure patients a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Am Coll Cardiol.2008 Sep 2;52(10):818-27.

Killip S, Bennett JM, Chambers MD. Iron deficiency anemia. Am Fam Physician. 2007 Mar 1;75(5):671-8.

KDOQI. KDOQI Clinical Practice Guideline and Clinical Practice Recommendations for anemia in chronic kidney disease: 2007 update of hemoglobin target. Am J Kidney Dis. 2007 Sep;50(3):471-530.

Maguire JL, deVeber G, Parkin PC. Association between iron-deficiency anemia and stroke in young children. Pediatrics. 2007 Nov;120(5):1053-7.

Martí-Carvajal AJ, Solà I. Treatment for anemia in people with AIDS. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2007 Jan 24;(1):CD004776.

Notebaert E, Chauny JM, Albert M. Short-term benefits and risks of intravenous iron: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Transfusion. 2007 Oct;47(10):1905-18.

Reveiz L, Gyte GM, Cuervo LG. Treatments for iron-deficiency anaemia in pregnancy. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2007 Apr 18;(2):CD003094.

Rizzo JD, Somerfield MR, Hagerty KL, et al. Use of epoetin and darbepoetin in patients with cancer: 2007 American Society of Clinical Oncology/American Society of Hematology Clinical Practice Guideline Update. J Clin Oncol. 2007 Dec 21 [Epub ahead of print]

Rodgers GM 3rd, Becker PS, Bennett CL, Cella D, Chanan-Khan A, Chesney C, et al. Cancer- and chemotherapy-induced anemia. J Natl Compr Canc Netw. 2008 Jul;6(6):536-64.

Zuckerman KS. Approach to the anemias. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 162.

Reviewed last on: 2/25/2009
Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997- A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is an independent audit to verify that A.D.A.M. follows rigorous standards of quality and accountability. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial policy, editorial process and privacy policy. A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics and subscribes to the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch).

Connect with UMMC

© 2011 University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC). All rights reserved.
UMMC is a member of the University of Maryland Medical System,
22 S. Greene Street, Baltimore, MD 21201. TDD: 1-800-735-2258 or 1.866.408.6885