Iron Depletion in Blood related to COVID?

I’m so glad to find this thread!!! I had my booster vaccine (pfizer) on Jan 7, 2022. I went to emergency on Feb 1, due to racing heart beat, dizziness, and chest pain. ER did a number of blood and CT/MRI tests, all fine. Later I went to see a cardiologist and did ultrasound, stress test, and everything of my heart was fine. But I’ve been feeling extremely tired, weak, breathless, and dizziness since I came back from ER (from Feb 1 to today March 16). Then, one of the doctors ordered some additional blood tests on Feb 22nd, it turned out I was low on iron (mine is 25, normal range is 50-212) and ferritin (mine is 6.5, normal range is 10-106). My saturation is 6%, while normal range is 15-55%. Doctor ordered FIT (check stools) to check if I have internal bleeding now…. I’ve been on iron supplement (65 mcg) for about 3 weeks now, but have noticed only slight improvement. When I was in ER on Feb 1, my total blood count including RBC and HgB was normal though. Perhaps I should get them rechecked now.

Anybody can share - how long did you take iron supplement to see iron and ferritin went back to normal range? Thanks!

I was put in the hospital about a month and a half after receiving the Moderna vaccine (2nd dose). I got two pints of blood and afterward needed two iron infusions. Since then, my iron levels have started down again (but still in the normal range) so have started taking iron supplements. I have never before had anemia. I am also glad to have found this thread because no one believes me (including doctors) that the vaccine is the cause in spite of the fact two endoscopies and a colonoscopy were normal and no one has another explanation for my issues. I was charged a $1500 copay for the iron infusions, only to learn later that they gave me the most expensive iron for no reason other than it was the most profitable for the provider. Please be sure to report your experience to VAERS if you haven't already. We need to make our experience known. Best wishes to you!

Hi all, I'm following this discussion already since August 2021, because also I have the same story. I'm a 38 year old male from The Netherlands and I do have a history of iron anemia, although last time was 10 years ago. I had very mild common side-effects after my first Moderna vaccination on the 13th of June, 2021. However I got ill quite badly for four days after my second Moderna vaccination on the 18th of July 2021. Immediately the days after I was feeling better I noticed that I was short of breath and couldn't even walk 100 meters without panting and stopping. Initially I thought it was something that would go away on its own, but it didn't. It improved a bit, but anything more than walking the stairs was already too much. Later I also noticed that I got sour muscles quickly after doing simple things like brushing teeth or doing the dishes. Since I had no issues whatsoever before my vaccination it was a strong connection in my opinion, but I wanted to keep an open mind and consulted my GP.

The GP ordered blood tests and those were showing Hb 5.2 mmol/L, Ht 0.31 L/L, ferritine 5.0 ug/L, iron 3.0 umol/L, M.C.V. 64.0 fL and transferrin saturation 3 %. So I was prescribed Ferrofumaraat 200 mg twice a week... After two months my blood values did not change at all, so my dose was increased to thrice a week and I was referred to a hematologist. The hematologist suspected an internal inflammation and thus ordered a lower endoscopy (no upper endoscopy was required, as iron absorption has been examined multiple times before). This did not lead to any abnormal results, so an video capsule endoscopy has been ordered, which is now planned for the 14th of February 2022. But we already suspect that this will also not lead to any abnormal results, as there are no indications of inflammations whatsoever. After using the Ferrofumaraat for more than four months, another blood test was ordered, and once again, so significant increase in blood values were showing. So my hematologist ordered a blood infusion, which I received last Wednesday. After suffering from side-effects for 3 days, now the fourth day after the iron infusion I was able to play and run with my kids again without any breathing issues!

Like I said, I'm already following this discussion since August 2021, and I read the stories of people that are already further into the process than I'm currently in, which gives me an opportunity to have some sort of view into the future. The 28th of February I'm seeing the hematologist again, and I want to bring "our" findings in this discussion under his attention, and discuss the next steps to take.

It is nice to know that I'm not "crazy" and that I'm not the only one!

Kind regards,
Raymond

I had 2 transfusions and 3 iron infusions. That along with taking B12, folic acid and slow release iron supplements for 3 months returned all my values to normal.

The same thing happened to me but with the Moderna vaccine. I am a healthy, half-marathon runner. The day after the first dose, I could not walk a mile. The second dose made me really sick, stuck on the couch for 4 days. I hadn’t been running much due to time restrictions so the anemia was not due to running. I signed up for a marathon and started practicing but my legs felt so heavy and I could not breath. I was having trouble sleeping, heart palpitations, tired throughout the day, and could not do all the activities I used to in a day. It also made me foggy-headed at times. I noticed my lymph nodes were swollen as well, and still are to this day, 7 months after my first dose. I’m August, I started going to my see my doctor and have had multiple blood tests, which confirmed iron deficiency and also high immunoglobulin M. I had an endoscopy/colonoscopy to rule out internal bleeding. I had an ultrasound on my lymph nodes and am now doing a CT on them. My ferritin is still low, my red blood cells are too wide now, and my TIBC is too high, and my IGM still too high as well. I have my energy back but still have a hard time with my breath running less than a mile. When I tell people it happened right after the vax, they always want to try to find another explanation, even my docs who try to point to birth control when I’ve been on bc for 20 years so that answer makes no sense. This needs to be looked into and taken seriously, there is something here….

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

I just found out I have iron deficiency anemia and am being scheduled for a colonoscopy to check for internal bleeding. I have never had an issue with this in my life, in fact I always had excellent hemoglobin/iron levels even pre menopause. Interestingly I developed sudden onset tinnitus within 10 days of receiving 2nd dose Pfizer (1st dose AZ). I had not had any blood work until last week and now I have read where anemia and tinnitus can be related. Just started iron supplements, has anyone had their situation improve through supplements? Thanks.

Tinnitus and iron deficiency are both definitely the side effects of the vaccine… many people are experiencing those, one or both…. I don’t know the correlation between two though…