Iron Depletion in Blood related to COVID?

Posted by stellm @stellm, Jun 11, 2021

Has there been any reports of iron depletion in the blood after receiving the Pfizer vaccine?

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@richcat

I usually do a lot of physical works very healthy lifestyle. I never had any low iron issues in my life. I don’t drink and smoke and love red meat, and I am 41 years old.
I had my first Pfizer in Feb 2021.
Felt a bit tired, a lot easier compared to the past in March and April 2021.
Had my second Pfizer vaccine at the beginning of May.
The situation was getting worse. I started to cough at the beginning of July. Saw the doctor a few times could find any problems.
Middle August 2021. I started feeling extremely weak. I couldn’t work even walk up to the first floor from the ground floor without stopping and had a rest. My heart was pumping like mad. Therefore I went to the A and E departments. They did all sorts of tests and found my haemoglobin level was only 56 (the average level should be 130-165). They gave me two units of blood transfusion immediately (950ml of blood). And brought the Haemoglobin level to 81, it was still low, but I felt much better immediately. And my cough was gone. The doctor explained because my heart was pumping so hard for such a long time. That’s was the reason for the cough.
They didn’t find internal bleeding or any other issues, and no one could explain why my haemoglobin level was that low. I left The hospital Without any Prescription.

The Pfizer vaccine can cause iron depletion. With that in mind, if you are feeling tired after Vaccine. Highly recommend checking the iron and haemoglobin level. If you have any heart conditions and you do nothing, it can be life-threatening.

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@cupofcoffee @richcat makes some excellent points. I was tired for a day or two after the vaccine but if that persists you should have it checked.

I had a condition where my hemoglobin was down to 17 and was told to get to the ER immediately. It was life-threatening I believe. My biggest symptom was that everything was an effort and I had to stop in the middle of the stairway to take a rest before going all the way from the 1st floor to the 2nd.

Don't take chances if you are that fatigued. Did the blood center tell you how low your iron was? It is not uncommon at all as we age to develop some level of anemia. I have it off and on, and I know a number of other people who are over 70 who do also. None of us though are extreme enough for our doctors to put us on iron, but I have no idea if our blood would be taken at a blood donation center.
JK

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@paulktn

You might want to consider what people are saying, and don’t only rely on VAERS. We are not crazy. Yes, I do to have below range levels of hemoglobin after second dose of Pfizer. Came to the ER to check my shortness of breath by the way, 10 days post second shot. Again: we the people should be taken seriously. We went out on a limb, took the vaccine, it would be nice to have some support from the medical community now, not just “oh, it’s coincidence”. Thank you

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Welcome @paulktn. You most certainly should be taken seriously. I'm sorry that you did not get the support and medical attention you needed. How are your hemoglobin levels now? How is your breathing?

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@nieeesha123

My husband gives blood regularly. He received the Pfizer vaccine and his blood which has never been low in iron was low in iron. I fed him an iron rich diet the week prior to him giving blood. I'm hoping it's not tied to the vaccine. They actually wouldn't take his blood because the iron content was so low.

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This happened to my step mom too. Not sure which shots she got but posted she was vaccinated on April 25th. Says she noticed feeling tired “in May.” By August she was in the hospital for several days for severe anemia. She’s 63. Diabetic. Former smoker. Healthy weight. Hope this helps! Keep looking for answers.

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Also check c19vaxreactions dot com, a site hosted by former NFL player Ken Reuttgers, after his wife had severe neurological issues after shots with no clear diagnosis.

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There is no such thing as "coincidence;" everything happens for a reason. What that really means is that they don't have another answer. Post-Covid iron and ferritin depletion and dangerously low blood pressure (after being on blood pressure to control hypertension for years) is NOT a coincidence. In my case, I got the first vaccination (Moderna) and within days contracted Covid (not saying the vaccination and Covid are related) but the blood pressure and iron issues are related to either Covid, the vaccination, or both.

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My father, 66, past smoker, pace-maker, emphysema and on oxygen, high BP, high cholesterol. but pretty stable and mobile. Had a COVID vaccine several months ago and had been in declining health since then, fatigue, tired, gets out of breath easily. Has recently had two hospital visits where he got transfusions but iron is still down. blood in stool, but endoscopy showed no GI bleeding. We are now bouncing back from being stabilized from the hospital with a hgb of 8, and trying to get him to his cardiologist and gastro doctors. I've found this thread because of looking for idopathic iron loss post covid vaccination. I would appreciate any help or leads, as I don't feel that the hospital doctors are doing anything but making sure he's barely OK enough to leave the hospital.

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@sueinmn

Post Covid infection iron deficiency has been documented for some time, and may be part of the cause of some post-Covid fatigue. The frequency of post-vaccine anemia is still not really known. Some other things that can be part of iron deficiency are low thyroid and low vitamin D levels. Were these checked at the same time? After low ferritin readings, it can take some time to build up, if iron supplements don't work, sometimes infusions may be prescribed.
I hope this answers some of your questions
Sue

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I have my thyroid checked regularly and my vitamin D levels are good. Yes, checked at the same time. TSH is in the normal range but lower than it had been over time (over the last three years).

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I too have family members that post the pfizer vaccine (amount a month or two after) were tired, low on energy and feeling off. The doctors report showed their iron levels to be a lot below the minimum amount along with some other health concerns. They had no health issues before and healthy iron levels before this situation.

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@adm74656

My father, 66, past smoker, pace-maker, emphysema and on oxygen, high BP, high cholesterol. but pretty stable and mobile. Had a COVID vaccine several months ago and had been in declining health since then, fatigue, tired, gets out of breath easily. Has recently had two hospital visits where he got transfusions but iron is still down. blood in stool, but endoscopy showed no GI bleeding. We are now bouncing back from being stabilized from the hospital with a hgb of 8, and trying to get him to his cardiologist and gastro doctors. I've found this thread because of looking for idopathic iron loss post covid vaccination. I would appreciate any help or leads, as I don't feel that the hospital doctors are doing anything but making sure he's barely OK enough to leave the hospital.

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I found last night that it was June that he got the vaccine, not several months ago. And dad said COPD, not emphysema.

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So interesting to stumble across this thread. I had my pfizer shot May 30, and by June 5th was having blood work done to try and figure out why I felt so awful. Initial blood work came back with a ferratin of 3, and a hgb of 10. I've never been anemic before in my life, not even when I was vegan. This marked the beginning of three months of crippling nausea and dizziness and fatigue. After many blood tests, every single one of my tests for inflammation came back sky high, complete with calprotectin (SP?) in a stool sample. I'm still trying to recover from this. I still decided to get my second vaccine (moderna), just unfortunate side effects that hit me I guess.

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