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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@mccobalt96

I had the Moderna vaccine and had enough of a decrease in my iron that I needed an infusion. My iron levels and RBC counts went down dramatically. Up until the vaccine I was donating blood to keep my hemocrit below 50 (I get testosterone which can cause this). When I had the blood test that showed my iron levels were below normal I was completely shocked. Now, I'm 8 months after my last Moderna dose, and my RBC and hemocrit are back up. Seems too coincidental to me that this happened when I had the COVID-19 vaccine.

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my mom got moderna too. has low iron and is suffering from long haulers after covid infection in may and again in august. does not have any antibody to covid.

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@aheid

I did test positive...but did not have any additional blood work to check for antibodies. Since I also had the monoclonal antibodies, I must assume that I have antibodies either from the virus itself and/or the infusion. I continue to have shortness of breath—not severe but noticeable when I walk up the stairs, etc., and I've concluded that all are related. As mentioned above there is slow improvement in iron/ferritin blood levels but the numbers hover just above the line of demarcation between normal and below normal range. As a side note, the government seems only to be honest when it suits the circumstances and, even then, I doubt that there is ever complete honesty.

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my mom got 2nd covid positive in august 18. Eventually tried monoclonal antibody on sept 14. Then sept 28 tested for antibody and test NEGATIVE. I would not immediately associate any vaccine, monoclonal antibody treatment OR an actual covid infection, with an immune response producing you antibody protection.

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That's very interesting and certainly food for thought but have you considered that there may be a problem with your mom's immune system or the antibody test itself?. As mentioned by others, above, there are documented instances of both false positive and negative antibody test results. She may be well off to have a second test for confirmation.

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@becabranch

my mom got 2nd covid positive in august 18. Eventually tried monoclonal antibody on sept 14. Then sept 28 tested for antibody and test NEGATIVE. I would not immediately associate any vaccine, monoclonal antibody treatment OR an actual covid infection, with an immune response producing you antibody protection.

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I think you posted earlier that your Mom also got shingles during some part of this timeline. I would be very concerned about 3 viral infections plus vaccines and no apparent immune response by her system. Has she seen her provider to discuss this? Does she have any underlying health conditions, or take any medications, that may be suppressing a healthy immune response?
Sue

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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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I also give blood regularly and have never had a problem with low iron. I received the 1st dose of Moderna 1/21/21. In mid February, I attempted to give blood and was rejected for low iron, There were no changes to my diet or exercise but I was feeling fatigued. The phlebotomist suggested i eat more iron rich foods, which I already was doing, and try again in several weeks. Same result. My number dropped from 13.8 to 11 which is below the 12.5 required. A routine blood workup by my doctor indicated that I was anemic and all red blood indicators were below normal. I am now taking Iron and B-12 and will recheck my blood in 3 months. I now know of two other friends, neither blood donors, who are experiencing the same problem after the vaccine.

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@sueinmn

Good afternoon and welcome to Mayo Connect. We are a community of people living with a wide variety of conditions and diseases, trying to live our best lives, and to help each other along the way by sharing our experiences. We are not medical professionals, and cannot give medical advice, but we can tell you what has worked for us, point you to resources, and help you to be and informed consumer and your own best advocate with your care providers.

Can you tell us a little more about what led you to ask this question? Do you have a history of anemia or another blood disorder?
Sue

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My husband got J&J in April and my 32yr old daughter got Maderna in May. They have always had perfect hemoglobin levels. In the last two weeks their hemoglobin levels were low for the first time. Both started complaining about being tired, no energy and foggy headed after being vaccinated. My husband is a three time Ironman athlete. He's climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. Now climbing our stairs makes him winded and light headed. I on the other hand am not vaccinated.
It seems to be vaccine related, regardless of which vaccine one received.

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@timfrombc

My B levels are normal. Have not checked my D levels. I asked my Pharmacist about taking iron. Told to talk to Dr first. Should be able to talk to Dr after the weekend.

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If you decide to get a vitamin D level checked - it will be interesting to know if it was low. Seems COVID takes a toll on those with low D levels - regardless of vaccine status.

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I, too, had my lowest iron count ever whileattempting to give blood post COVID test (J&J vaccine 5 days ago) . I have NEVER not been able to give blood.

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I, too, have had my lowest iron count in my entire lifetime and was not able to donate blood for the first time ever after having the vaccine (J&J vaccine 5 days ago) due to a the low iron count. You think the fatigue that is already a common side effect may be actual symptoms of iron deficiency. We just happen to know because of blood testing/donation. I bet there are so many more experiencing this who have not seen a doctor due to fatigue being listed as a common side effect.

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Because there is a relationship between iron and the thyroid, can iron depletion resulting from covid or the vaccination, have an effect on patients with hypothyroidism, such as raising blood TSH levels? Is anyone experiencing this, especially those taking prescription iron?

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