Anemia Rash: Causes, Pictures, and Treatment

Table Of Content

• Iron deficiency and hair loss: what’s the connection?
• How Is Iron Deficiency Treated?
• Blood Cancers & Disorders Discussions
• Vitamins, minerals, and hair loss: Is there a connection?
• If you have alopecia, can your hair grow back?
• Iron Deficiency and Nonscarring Alopecia in Women: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Several other indicators signal that your iron levels may be low. These tend to be less common and may be linked to many conditions other than iron deficiency. Hemoglobin enables your red blood cells to carry oxygen around your body. When you don’t get enough iron, it especially affects your bone marrow. The marrow is where hemoglobin is created, a process that depends on iron.

Iron deficiency and hair loss: what’s the connection?

Research has determined that there is not enough evidence to say for sure that iron deficiency anemia can cause hair loss in men or women. While some studies have found that people experiencing hair loss were deficient in iron, there is little evidence to suggest that an iron deficiency is the cause. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, it’s completely normal to shed anywhere between 50 to 100 strands of hair per day. However, if you’ve noticed more strands falling out of your head than normal, you may be experiencing alopecia, the medical term for hair loss. Common diagnoses include androgenetic alopecia, alopecia areata, telogen effluvium, and lymphocytic scarring alopecia, Agbai tells USA TODAY. Although studies on the relationship between iron and hair loss remain largely underdeveloped, some preliminary works highlight the links between iron and its impact on normal hair growth [5], [6].

How Is Iron Deficiency Treated?

You can up your iron levels through a range of sources like lean protein, spinach and peas. Some cereals are also ‘iron-fortified’ which indicates they have higher amounts of iron. With lower levels of ferritin in your hair follicles, you may notice changes in your hair texture. There are other types, like vitamin B12 or folate deficiency anaemia, that the blood test will also check for. A doctor may measure your hemoglobin levels and your serum ferritin concentration, as well as potentially a few other measurements, to try and pinpoint the causative factor. If you are concerned that your iron levels may not be adequate, it is important to ask your doctor to measure your levels.

Blood Cancers & Disorders Discussions

The reported rate of iron deficiency in the USA and Canada is 10–12% [36]. The reported prevalence rate for iron deficiency from Asian countries is 20–26% and in different regions of Ethiopia 18–50% [37, 38, 39, 40, 41]. Based on these data, it would appear that ferritin deficiency in women with nonscarring alopecia is not higher than in the general population. Several studies suggested higher cutoff levels of below 30–40 ng/dL as the definition of iron deficiency [5, 29, 42, 43, 44]. This threshold of 30–41 ng/dL yields sensitivity and specificity rates of 92–98% each for iron deficiency [29]. The prevalence of iron deficiency among women with hair loss increased with this threshold to 59%.

Vitamins, minerals, and hair loss: Is there a connection?

According to the Academy of Dermatology, it's perfectly normal to lose 100 or so hairs from your head every day. Forest plot of the difference in mean ferritin values between patients and controls. We identified 928 studies in the electronic databases using all the search terms (see Search Strategy section). Four hundred and twenty-eight abstracts and names of articles were reviewed in phase 1 of the selection process. The articles were obtained through the electronic library of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

Even if you do have low ferritin, taking too much iron can be problematic. It’s also possible to have low ferritin but normal iron readings. According to the Mayo Clinic, normal ferritin rates are 20 to 200 nanograms per milliliter for women and 20 to 500 for men.

What Vitamin Deficiencies Can Cause Hair Loss? - Healthnews.com

What Vitamin Deficiencies Can Cause Hair Loss?.

Posted: Tue, 12 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Anemia is common in older adults, but it can be hard to identify, as some of the symptoms are common as people get older. If you find yourself out of breath when doing daily tasks that you used to find easy, such as walking, climbing stairs, or working out, it may be due to iron deficiency. As a result, your breathing rate will increase as your body tries to get more oxygen, resulting in shortness of breath. In people with darker skin tones, the eyelid may be the only area where this condition is noticeable. Skin that’s paler than usual, as well as pale coloring of the inside of the lower eyelids, can also indicate iron deficiency. If your body doesn’t have enough hemoglobin, your tissues and muscles won’t get enough oxygen to be able to work effectively.

Things you can do to help with iron deficiency anaemia

Pump Up Your Iron Center for Women's Health - OHSU

Pump Up Your Iron Center for Women's Health.

Posted: Sun, 07 Jul 2019 14:42:52 GMT [source]

That might sound positive for your hair, but consuming too much vitamin A can actually cause hair loss. Sometimes, hair loss can be caused by getting too much of a certain vitamin or mineral. Continue reading to learn more about which vitamin deficiency causes hair loss, hair loss causes, and how to stop hair loss. The petechial red spots do not typically cause any symptoms like pain or itching. You should notice that they stay red, even if you press on the skin.

Iron Deficiency and Nonscarring Alopecia in Women: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

If you're told that you can't donate because of low hemoglobin, make a medical appointment. Anemia is a problem of not having enough healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin to carry oxygen to the body's tissues. Hemoglobin is a protein found in red cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to all other organs in the body. Having anemia can cause tiredness, weakness and shortness of breath. Hemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells that helps transport oxygen around your body. In iron deficiency, low hemoglobin levels mean the heart has to work extra hard to carry oxygen.

In some cases of hypothyroidism, hair loss may not be directly linked to a lack of thyroid hormones, but instead to iron deficiency. This, in turn, causes low ferritin and hypothyroidism to occur at the same time. Having low ferritin interferes with your body’s role in making red blood cells.

An anemia rash may be caused by the anemia itself or due to complications from treatment for anemia. Depending on the type and cause, the rash may look like red or purple pinpoint spots, a bruise, or red bumps. Generally speaking, the sooner you start treatment, the more options you have and the better your results, dermatologists say.

That’s surprising to many people since many companies sell shampoos and other products with biotin, claiming that they’ll improve hair health. People experiencing both hair loss and an iron deficiency might need to treat both separately. According to Healthline, other common types of alopecia include traction alopecia, telogen effluvium, alopecia areata, central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA), and lichen planopilaris (LPP). According to Agbai, genetics, hormonal shifts, stress, underlying medical conditions, nutritional deficiencies, and scalp inflammation are notable factors. Minimize the use of high-heat styling tools, hair extensions and harsh treatments like perms.

Two articles were received directly from the authors by email request. At the end of the process, 36 studies were entered into the systematic review and meta-analysis. The selection process is shown in the flowchart (shown in Fig. ​Fig.11). All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this article and its online supplementary material files. While the correct amount of iron intake is important to your overall health, too much iron can have the opposite effect.

Avoid hairstyles like tight buns and braids that pull on your scalp, potentially causing traction alopecia. A review study published in 2022 found that it significantly increases hair diameter and hair count in patients with several types of alopecia. It typically isn’t covered by insurance, and it can be expensive, Mirmirani says. Dozens of over-the-counter supplements and products purport to reverse hair loss, making it tough for patients to know which ones work and which don’t. If you often wear a hairstyle like braids or a tight bun that puts prolonged strain or stress on the hair follicle, that can cause a type of permanent hair loss called traction alopecia. If you’re concerned about hair loss, or your hair changing its texture due to iron deficiency, all hope is not lost.

We consulted board-certified dermatologists Rina Weimann, MD, FAAD, and Vladyslava Doktor, MD, to find out. Keep reading for everything you need to know about the relationship between iron deficiency and hair loss. While hair loss is not a typical symptom of iron deficiency anemia, some people might experience it. CCCA and LPP fall under the umbrella of lymphocytic scarring alopecia. The telltale signs of  these conditions are chronic inflammation of the scalp and the scarring of hair follicles, which can result in irreversible hair loss, Agbai notes. Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition that is characterized by “round patches of hair loss on the scalp,” although it can occur elsewhere on the body, Agbai says.

The best way to treat hair loss with ferritin is to increase your iron levels. Your doctor might talk to you about taking supplements if you don’t eat enough iron-rich foods (such as liver and beef). However, hair loss has many causes, including hormonal changes, stress, and infection. If you’re experiencing hair loss, talk with your healthcare provider, who can help you address the causes of hair loss and develop a treatment plan that will work for you. So, if you’re experiencing thinning hair, you might ask yourself which vitamin deficiency causes hair loss.