As every year, during the winter, the chances of getting the so-called “seasonal ailments” increase. With the lowering of temperatures, in fact, the presence of sore throat, runny nose, cough, fever and so on could be very frequent. These symptoms are often accompanied by a sense of general exhaustion, fatigue and sometimes persistent headaches. Not only are the most vulnerable people affected, such as the elderly and children, but also women and men of all ages.
However, not everyone knows that these flu symptoms would be very similar to a particular and often underestimated condition of the body.
In fact, fatigue, exhaustion and headaches could be just some of the signs of this deficiency in the body
This symptomatology could also be common to other pathologies and particular conditions of our body.
These include anemia, a blood disease characterized by low values of hemoglobin, a protein that has the task of transporting oxygen to the various tissues of the body. As reported by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, when the values are lower than 12 g / dL in women and 13.4 g / dL in men, we are in the presence of anemia.
Main causes and problems
This condition could be due to an iron deficiency, or to some chronic, infectious or autoimmune diseases. In addition, the use of drugs, an ongoing pregnancy, bone marrow dysfunction or the presence of hereditary diseases could also cause anemia.
However, in this article, we will focus our attention on one particular cause, which is vitamin B12 and / or folate deficiency.
In the latter case, the red blood cells are larger than normal and therefore do not function properly.
This phenomenon can cause a wide range of symptoms, in addition to the fatigue, exhaustion and migraines already mentioned. In fact, tachycardia, balance disorders, concentration and memory difficulties may also appear. Or there may be loss of appetite and weight loss.
In particular, anemia caused by vitamin B12 deficiency could cause visual disturbances, inflammation of the tongue, tingling in the limbs and jaundice.
In case of folate deficiency (vitamin B9), on the other hand, a reduction in the sense of taste, diarrhea, muscle weakness and depression may appear.
What to do in these situations
So, we have seen that fatigue, exhaustion and headaches could be just some of the signs of this deficiency in the body.
In these cases, it is advisable to consult your family doctor and carry out the necessary blood tests to ascertain or exclude these deficiencies.
Although it is easily treatable, anemia could lead to neurological alterations which, if neglected, could even become permanent.
Recommended reading
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