Signs & Symptoms of Anemia & Hypothyrodism

When harm takes over the body and manifests itself with pox, body-wracking sneezes or broken bones, a doctor can quickly diagnose and treat the problem. On the other hand, when a body begins to suffer from an illness that doesn't present a clear, obvious cause, patients can suffer from frustrating rounds of visits and go without medicine. Two diseases, hypothyroidism and anemia, are often hard to diagnose because their symptoms are often overlooked as part of daily life.

Fatigue

• Both hypothyroidism and anemia have the key symptom of fatigue. The sufferer may feel extreme tiredness to the point of not being able to lift up her head or struggling to get out of bed. The tiredness is not an "exercised all day" or "stayed up too late" tiredness. Each illness causes a feeling of being completely worn out to the bone. Of course, symptoms vary in each patient; the early onset of either disease will show much lesser symptoms than someone who has suffered untreated for a long time.

Cold

• Both anemia and hypothyroidism leave sufferers out in the cold-- literally. Patients feel highly sensitive to the cold, even when bundled up, in front of a heater or in warm weather. Temperature differences are most common in the extremities, with hands and feet bearing the brunt of the chill.

Cognitive Issues

• Hypothyroidism and anemia may both present trouble with brain functioning in patients. Hypothyroidism sufferers may feel irritability, confusion, memory loss and depression. Anemia patients manifest loss of what the Duke Hospital refers to as "Executive Function." Because anemic patients don't get enough oxygen to the brain, their ability to make plans, rationalize and see commitments through is disturbed. Test scores of anemic patients are also lower than the average.