Woman’s stroke while driving could have been due to an iron deficiency

A 20-year-old woman was caught up in a road accident after a ‘brief loss of consciousness’ due to a stroke. After her accident, doctors performed several tests that revealed she had no underlying health issues other than iron deficiency anaemia. Doctor’s described the case as ‘intriguing’ as it’s unusual for iron deficiency to cause stroke.According to the case report, published in Case Reports in Medicine, before the crash, the woman had a ‘sensation of dizziness with blurring of vision’ and passed out briefly.The woman reportedly woke up ‘within a few minutes’ of being knocked out and was alert.When she visited the hospital, she had some chest pain caused by the airbag but ‘did not have any signs of significant trauma’.But she had weakness in the left side of her body, a typical symptom of a stroke.Read more: Acholic stools are ‘the most common’ sign of pancreatic cancer in ‘initial’ stages Iron deficiency can cause low levels of oxygen carrying substances in blood (Image: GETTY)Further tests showed other symptoms of a stroke. She was unable to keep her eyes balanced when closed – known as a Romberg sign – which is linked to stroke.Yet, a CT scan showed no signs that blood was restricted from the brain – one of the main causes of stroke. The doctors also did a number of other physical tests that failed to explain the presence of her symptoms.The only noticeable health issue that the doctors spotted was low levels of iron in the blood. In a lab test, she had an iron saturation of just six percent.Normal levels of iron are between 35.5 and 44.9 percent for adult women, according to the Mayo Clinic.DON’T MISS:Popular dry shampoos used by millions recalled for cancer-causing chemical [NEWS]Nikita Kuzmin seen wearing white patch on arm – Strictly pro’s condition explained [CELEBRITY HEALTH]Man, 56, rapidly declines from B12 deficiency shortly after the ‘ball of his feet’ play up [CASE STUDY] Studies have also linked low levels of iron to stickier blood (Image: GETTY) Heart palpitations are a common symptom of iron deficiency (Image: Express.co.uk)What are the symptoms of iron deficiency?According to the NHS, the main symptoms include:tiredness and lack of energyshortness of breathnoticeable heartbeats (heart palpitations)pale skinThe health body encourages you to visit your GP if you spot these signs.Your doctor will be able to find out if you have iron deficiency anaemia with a simple blood test.