Low Iron (Without Anaemia).  

Your recent blood test results show low iron levels. Although you are not anaemic, this is known as non-anaemic iron deficiency. 

What this means:

• Non-anaemic iron deficiency can cause symptoms such as tiredness, reduced concentration, or feeling run-down, even if your haemoglobin is normal. 

Next steps:

• Start an iron supplement (e.g. ferrous sulfate or fumarate).

• Take it with vitamin C or orange juice to help absorption.

• Avoid taking it with tea, coffee, or calcium-rich foods (as they reduce absorption). 

• We'll recheck your blood in 3 months to confirm improvement.

• If you cannot tolerate oral iron, floradix tablets available over the counter are an alternative to iron tablets, but have lower levels of iron and need to be taken for a longer course ie 6 months.

Tips:

• Eat iron-rich foods (e.g. red meat, spinach, beans, lentils, fortified cereals).

• If heavy periods are a factor, we can discuss management options for this.

Follow-up:

• Please book a repeat appointment in 3 months to repeat your blood tests and monitor your levels to ensure they have normalised. If your iron remains low despite treatment, further tests may be required.