What Are The Symptoms Of Anemia?

A person with anemia will feel tired and weak because the body's tissues are being starved of oxygen. In fact, fatigue is the main symptom of most types of anemia. The severity of symptoms is in part related to the severity of anemia. Mild anemia can occur without symptoms and may be detected only during a medical exam that includes a blood test.

Symptoms of anemia include:

• Fatigue

• Weakness

• Fainting

• Breathlessness

• Heart palpitations (rapid or irregular beating)

• Dizziness

• Headache

• Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)

• Difficulty sleeping

• Difficulty concentrating

Common signs include:

• Pale complexion

• The normally red lining of the mouth and eyelids fades in color

• Rapid heartbeat (tachycardia)

• Abnormal menstruation (either absence of periods or increased bleeding)

Other signs depend on the cause of the anemia. These can include spoon-shaped finger nails and toenails in iron-deficiency anemia, mildjaundice in hemolytic anemias, and leg ulcers in sickle cell anemia .