Other symptoms of hair loss

Since iron is necessary for blood formation and thus for the oxygen supply of the entire body, a deficiency leads to a variety of symptoms. Here, a distinction is made between specific symptoms, i.e. those that are typical for exactly this disease, and general symptoms. The specific symptoms include, for example, mouth corner rhagades, which are inflamed tears in the corners of the mouth.

Also frequently recurring aphthae of the oral mucosa are a typical symptom of iron deficiency. Furthermore, Plummer-Vinson syndrome can occur, in which the oral mucosa is broken down, the tongue burns and the affected person reports difficulty swallowing. Brittle nails are also among the symptoms of iron deficiency.

Those affected often report concentration problems and sleep disorders. In some cases, restless legs syndrome occurs. More general symptoms that are not immediately attributable to iron deficiency, but which nevertheless occur frequently in this clinical picture, are pale facial skin and frequent fatigue.

A severe iron deficiency also causes breathing difficulties under stress and a faster heartbeat. As with most diseases, not all symptoms need to occur in every affected person and not necessarily all at the same time. The symptoms can all be reversed if the cause is eliminated.

Treatment

The therapy for iron deficiency always aims to increase the amount of iron in the body again. First, the cause of the iron deficiency must be found. Both diet and blood loss can be considered.If there is bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract, a specialist must be consulted to investigate and eliminate the cause.

In addition to eliminating the cause, if possible, iron can also be absorbed. The easiest way to do this is to change your diet. Particularly high amounts of iron are found in pig liver, black pudding, egg yolk and white beans.

Many vegetarian or vegan foods also contain a lot of iron. These include in particular oatmeal, beetroot and millet. Since vegetarians consume less iron overall, they should pay attention to the simultaneous intake of vitamin C, as this increases the absorption of iron.

In addition to the normal diet, supplements can be used. For this purpose, tablets with bivalent iron are available, which should be taken at sufficient intervals before meals. These should be taken for several weeks after the iron level has normalized.

Alternatively, in case of a slight deficiency or an increased risk of deficiency, so-called herbal blood can be taken. This is a juice that contains a lot of iron. The effects of an iron deficiency are completely reversible.

Once the cause of the iron deficiency has been eliminated, the body can begin to replenish its iron stores. However, as long as the cause is not eliminated, the symptoms will continue. It can take several months before all the consequences of iron deficiency, including hair loss, subside again, since the body again supplies the cells according to certain priorities.

As soon as the hair follicles receive enough oxygen again, the hair can grow again and the hair loss will decrease. With regular deficiency situations, such as heavy period bleeding, a deficiency can be prevented by appropriate nutrition. Most of those affected report an improvement of the general symptoms shortly after the cause has been eliminated and iron substitution has begun.

The ability to concentrate increases and tiredness decreases. However, since more important cells are supplied first, it takes a relatively long time until the hair follicles are also supplied sufficiently again. A normalization of hair growth and a decrease in hair loss can only be expected three to six months after the normalization of the hemoglobin value.