If I have a low level of iron in my body does that mean I might be anaemic?

Question

I had wanted to donate but got turned away because of the low iron level. Does that mean I might be anaemic?

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Answer 1

Anaemia is a broad term meaning that you have a deficiency in the number of red blood cells in a given volume of blood.  One of the more common causes of anaemia is low iron (often in females we see this because after menarche females lose blood and iron is one key component of what makes up red blood cells.  Sometimes its a dietary insufficiency in iron which results in not enough red blood cells being made (again iron deficiency anaemia).

If you were turned away based on this principle that you have low iron in your blood, you likely do have anaemia, but this is a common condition that is easily treatable with iron supplements (in most cases).  I imagine that the reason you were turned away is that the organisation that was looking for blood donors had strict guidelines on whom is eligible to donate, and if one doesn't have "enough" red blood cells, they don't want to cause undue harm unto you by taking away your blood.

Your best best is to see your physician and have a formal evaluation and blood drawn so that your physician knows theh degree of anaemia and can properly treat you accordingn to this information.

I wish you the best, and urge you not to worry yourself, as more than likely you have a common and easily treatable condition that many, many young women (and some men) have.

Answer 2

It could mean you're anemic. But to know for sure, you should visit your doctor and have a lab test done. More spcifically a Complete Blood Count (CBC). A CBC will let you know exactly what's going on inside in regards to your blood count. Now when someone is anemic, a blood count, more specifically a hemoglobin level, will let you know just how low. Anemic patients will normally have a red blood cell count below 4 and/or a hemoglobin count of less than 8-9. Now with regards to your low iron level, they were most likely looking at your hemoglobin level as hemoglobin is the component of our blood that's responsible for carrying iron, furhtemore carrying oxygen. To be safe, you should visit your doctor and find out for sure what your lab values might be. And good for you for trying to donate blood!

Answer 3

I'm not a doctor yet, but I am studying medicine so please consult a physician before making any health decisions.

You might or might not be anemic. Anaemia is predominantly caused by iron deficiency, but has other causes such as heavy menstrual periods.  I recommend seeing a physician and asking for a blood test to determine whether you are anemic based on the blood count.  Meanwhile you may want to eat foods that are good sources of iron, such as, beef, turkey, beef liver, oysters, etc or by taking an iron supplement such as ferrous sulfate.

Hope this helps,

Ali Darwish