Low iron can make you feel miserable and can cause you to feel depressed, have low self esteem, lack of energy, fatigued, loss of interest in daily activities and more.
Having enough iron in the body is essential to keeping the body healthy and energized.
Things that can happen with low iron are severe complications such as fatigue, restless leg syndrome, headaches, heart problems, developmental delays in children and pregnancy complications.
Having low iron can also make chronic conditions worse and cause treatments to not work properly.
Low iron can also become life threatening and may cause kidney failure and other organ failure if left untreated.
Low iron is also called sideropenia and can lead to anemia.
Iron-deficiency anemia is a blood disorder that affects your red blood cells which is the most common form of anemia.
The iron deficiency anemia happens when the body doesn't have enough iron to make hemoglobin, a substance in your red blood cell that allows them to carry oxygen throughout your body.
When you have low iron you may notice pale skin and cold hands and feet.
Having iron-deficiency anemia can also cause you to feel dizzy or lightheaded and occasionally, it can cause chest pain, a fast heartbeat and shortness of breath.
Iron deficiency can also cause you to have unusual cravings for non-food items such as ice, dirt or paper.
The causes of low iron are not getting enough iron in your diet, vigorous exercise, pregnancy and chronic blood loss.
Also some people can have low iron when the body is not able to absorb iron.
An iron deficiency or low iron can be treated by increasing your iron intake through iron rich foods and by taking iron supplements.
The 3 stages of iron deficiency symptoms are.
During stage 3, anemia with normal-appearing RBCs and indices develops.
During stage 4, microcytosis and then hypochromia develop.
During stage 5, iron deficiency affects tissues, resulting in symptoms and signs.
Having an iron deficiency can also affect your nails.
Koilonychia is an abnormal shape of the fingernail.
The nail has raised ridges and is thin and curved inward.
This disorder is associated with iron deficiency anemia.
Leukonychia is white streaks or spots on the nails often due to drugs or disease.
Often, spoon nails are a sign of iron deficiency anemia or a liver condition known as hemochromatosis, in which your body absorbs too much iron from the food you eat.
Spoon nails can also be associated with heart disease and hypothyroidism.
The autoimmune disease that causes ridges in fingernails is Systemic sclerosis (scleroderma, SSc).
Scleroderma is the hallmark feature of systemic sclerosis (SSc).
SSc is a chronic multisystem disease characterized by widespread vascular dysfunction and progressive fibrosis of the skin and internal organs.
Psoriatic arthritis can also cause nail conditions including longitudinal ridges, splinter hemorrhages, and pitting.
Your liver can and does affect your nails.
When you have liver problems your nails color may change which can be an indicator of liver disease.
If the nails are mostly white with darker rims, this can indicate liver problems, such as hepatitis.
If your nails have a Jaundice look to them that can also be a sign and indicator of liver disease.
Brushing your nails does make them stronger.
For best results, brush your nails two to three times per week.
However, should you wish to do it more that's okay as well, so long as you don't irritate the cuticle or brush too harshly.
Regular nail grooming can also help boost the strength of your nails, encouraging growth and reducing breakage.
Some ways to keep your nails well-maintained include: keeping your nails dry and clean, which keeps bacteria from growing beneath them.
To keep your nails clean and healthy brush your nails often and clean underneath the nails as well as on top of the nails.
Also clip and cut your fingernails to keep them from growing too long.
If you do not cut your nails regularly they can grow too long and easily get damaged and broken and you may actually rip or tear a nail off during injury.
Because of their length, longer fingernails can harbor more dirt and bacteria than short nails, thus potentially contributing to the spread of infection.
To help prevent the spread of germs and nail infections: Keep nails short and trim them often.
A nail whether fingernail or toenail will grow back if removed or ripped off etc due to injury.
Nails such as fingernails and toenails do have the ability to grow back but it will take a few months to even 6 months or so before the fingernail or toenail grows back fully.
Fingernails can regrow entirely in three to six months.
Fingers or toes that have sustained injuries that affect the nail bed and the matrix grow more slowly than unaffected nails for about three months.
After a nail separates from the nail bed for whatever reason, it will not reattach.
A new nail will have to grow back in its place.
Nails grow back slowly.
It takes about 6 months for a fingernail and up to 18 months for a toenail to grow back.
If you rip a nail off you should do the following.
Cover the nail with tape or an adhesive bandage until the nail has grown out enough to protect the finger or toe.
If you trim off the detached nail, you will have less worry about the nail catching and tearing.
What are the stages of nail regrowth?
Nails grow from underneath your skin at the matrix, which is the root of your nail.
New cells form in the matrix.
And as these new cells grow, older cells move up and push through your skin.