Rana Al-Hrout: Recognizing Non-Anemic Iron Deficiency – Why Iron Matters Beyond Hemoglobin
Rana Al-Hrout, Clinical Pathology-Hematology Specialist at Ministry of Health – Jordan, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Iron Deficiency – Even Without Anemia
Did you know that you can be iron deficient even when your hemoglobin is completely normal?
In clinical practice, patients may present with:
- Persistent fatigue
- Reduced exercise tolerance
- Brain fog and difficulty concentrating
- Hair loss or brittle nails
- Restless legs syndrome
- Reduced overall quality of life
Yet their hemoglobin may still be within the normal range.
What is Non-Anemic Iron Deficiency?
It is a state in which iron stores are depleted before anemia develops.
Typically, this may be reflected by:
Low Ferritin and low Transferrin Saturation
while hemoglobin remains normal.
Why does it matter?
Iron is essential for much more than hemoglobin production. It plays important roles in:
- Cognitive function
- Energy metabolism
- Muscle function and exercise capacity
- Cellular processes and enzymatic activity
Therefore, iron deficiency should not be dismissed simply because the Hb is normal.
Why treat it?
In appropriately selected, symptomatic patients, correcting iron deficiency may improve fatigue, physical performance, cognitive symptoms, restless legs, and quality of life.
Most importantly, the underlying cause of iron deficiency should always be investigated.
Normal hemoglobin does not always mean normal iron status.”
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