Iron Depletion in Blood related to COVID?

I had my hemoglobin level drop from 13.6 to 7.9 after the Moderna vaccine.

VAERS has had almost 500,000 reports of low hemoglobin after taking covid vaccines.

I was reading through these comments to see if what I'm experiencing is common. I just received lab results showing ferritin of 5, obviously very low. I have no other symptoms and that test was ordered, along with magnesium, as I have restless legs at night. I donate blood 3 or so times a year and my last one was almost 7 weeks prior to this lab test. I always have great iron and never a problem with donating. I did have the Pfizer vaccines (both) in April. I didn't think about any connection but reading through these I am not sure. My doctor will see the results on Monday and I'm sure she will direct me on what to do. I did have a full labs ordered but this one came back first. I'm very curious to see what my other levels are on the other labs. I eat plenty of iron, in fact I looked and my cereal alone contained 100% rda, plus I eat other high iron foods during the day, so this can't be diet. I am so confused.

I work for a blood donation facility. I personally have seen a lot of donors that have been donating for many years and have all of a sudden been deferred due to low hemoglobin. The only common denominator has been the covid vaccination. They have never had issues before. A now, surprise, there is a severe shortage of blood and platelet products.
They can deny what the vaccine does to people but I can only get a hypothesis based on what I've personally seen.

I have had this same issue and found this Mayo Clinic thread while searching for some answers. I have chronic IDA due to a genetic disorder called HHT. My Hgb was 8.4 when I got my second Pfizer dose and 2 weeks later I ended up in ER for blood transfusion with hgb at 6.6.

I just got my booster a week ago and hgb dropped from 9.1 to 7.3. I have absolutely no doubt now that this is due to the vaccine.

I am a hospital worker interacting with Covid patients all week so I am still very happy to be vaccinated but this drop in blood and iron levels is pretty scary. Can you please give some explanation why this may be happening? I thought perhaps it triggered a HHT related bleed but now t that I see all these people with similar issues I am curious what is going on??

Thank you for any insight.

Best, Kari

Hello Kari - I think you provided your own insight - "chronic IDA due to a genetic disorder called HHT." Remember that when vaccines (any vaccines) are tested, people with underlying conditions are generally excluded from the test population. It is only after release that a pattern of exacerbation may appear, then the research begins. Thus, it is entirely possible that further study will determine one or more of the Covid vaccines cause this reaction in certain individuals. Once known by the manufacturers and the CDC, it can be further researched, and it may be determined that one vaccine is preferred over others for those with HHT, or it may be that you just need to be aware of the possibility and follow up with your provider.

Please make sure your experience is reported in VAERS (https://vaers.hhs.gov/reportevent.html.) Also, please be sure to completely fill out all of the items, not just vaccine ID and reported side effect. Include your preexisting condition, any medications, and your contact info. When this is done, if there are multiple reports in VAERS for the combination of side effect/underlying condition, it gives the manufacturers and researchers a starting point for figuring it out.

By the way, there are VAERS reports of low hemoglobin and/or anemia after other vaccines as well, though I do not know whether other conditions were involved. We are all just currently focused on Covid vaccine.
I hope your experience can help solve the puzzle.
Sue

Hi, I found this thread after searching for "anemia after covid vaccine". I had the J&J (Janssen) vaccine in mid March 2021 and started experiencing increasing fatigue around May/June with it becoming notable by early July. I thought I was just stressed (haven't we all been) but by August it was so bad that I could hardly do anything without feeling exhausted and had developed 24/7 pulsatile tinnitus, and had a few falls - thankfully only bruises, no breaks or fractures! I also noticed my skin paling and weight loss. I saw my PCP early Sept and she ordered bloodwork which came back with "critical anemia" - hemoglobin at 4.3!! and very low iron etc. She immediately started my on a 3x daily iron supplement (Ferrous Sulfate 375/60-mg) and ordered all kinds of scans and other tests - everything came back normal (especially for my age of nearly 70) I will also add that I have been active and overall healthy, still work etc prior to this, no history of any kind of anemia. Long story short I have also been under care of a hematologist and am thankful that 6 weeks into iron supp, my Hemoglobin is up to 10.8 and iron levels also greatly improved along with associated markers.I wanted to avoid iron infusion so am very pleased the supplemental iron is working (along with adding extra iron rich foods to my already healthy diet) The only thing that changed from my normal levels at my annual physical last year October and now was the JJ vaccine in mid-March. I was exposed to a family member with Covid in April, but tested negative with full test after the required period. The Hematologist said he could not rule out the vaccine connection as just not enough studies/reporting done yet. I am however VERY hesitant now to get the booster, which I am currently eligible for. Having seen the comments here, I am going to report my experience at VAERS. Thanks to everyone for this very informative discussion

I had the Pfizer vaccine, and shortly afterwards, I was extremely fatigued and feeling unwell. This has been ongoing since May when I had the second shot. I also started to notice an increase in yeast and excess sebum on my skin. I ended up with a severe skin yeast infection, across much of my body, which I also feel is from the vaccine. Following that, I had blood work done. My doctor said that my Ferrtitn was extremely low, but that my Haemoglobin and size of blood cells (MCV) was normal. He said this was extremely unusual and I should ty to follow up to have that investigated. What I am finding really challenging, is speaking to doctors about all this, and it seems like they don't believe me and disregard my feeling that it's from the vaccine. It's almost like they need to be positive about the vaccine, and cant keep an open mind to the possibility it might be flawed, or be causing some unusual and troublesome reactions in some people. Additionally until recently, I haven't known of any way to report or record my experience after the vaccine. It's therefore possible that there are millions of people who are also suffering, but those individuals haven't come forward as yet or associated it with the vaccine just yet.

I have same issue. After 2nd dose of Pfizer. Low iron, etc. Many tests, no answers. Ypu all are not alone in this.

I have had a similar situation. I September 2020 my iron was coming normal. I have never had an issue with low iron. I got my 1st COVID vaccine On March 24. I had a pretty typical reaction. Fever,(103.5) body aches, joint and muscle pain headache and fatigue. It only lasted 2 days. Then I started to feel tired all the time. I got my second dose on April 21. Same reaction, but not as severe. I continued to feel more exhausted. Napping every day, no energy and felt horrible. Tried to donate blood but was rejected due to low iron. Went to my PCP who found I was anemic. My Hemoglobin went from 13.9 to 9.1. Ferritin was at 2. I went to the gastroenterologist. The only thing she found is some minor GI inflammation which I actually had . She put me on iron supplements twice a day. My Iron has gone up and I felt better but I can’t take that much iron for long. My PCP thought I should see a hematologist. I have that appointment next week. Last week I got the COVID booster and now 5 days later I am starting to feel exhausted and fatigued again.
If my iron has gone back down again I will discuss the possible connection with my PCP