Hello, I Am A 23 Year Old Male Who Doesn't

Posted on Tue, 8 Oct 2019

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 8 Oct 2019 Answered on

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Question : Hello, I am a 23 year old male who doesn't smoke or drink. A week ago I started experiencing a weakness in my right wrist and fingers. A few days later, my whole body became weak and I have started twitching all throughout the day in my legs mostly. I got every blood work test done imaginable and the only abnormal thing that came back was my iron at 39 mcg/dl as well as my saturation at 14%. My fettirin is normal at 77 and my iron binding is also normal at 270. My doctor said that this should not be causing my weakness or twitching. Before I start to worry and head to the neurologist, is he wrong? Could the slightly low iron be causing why i feel so weak/twitchy? Thank you.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Ivan Romich (47 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
low iron possible cause

Detailed Answer:
Hi and welcome.
Yes, low iron is possible cause of symptoms that you are mentioning.
Beside iron, some other electrolytes may lead to muscle twitching such as low magnesium, potassium or calcium.
Some serious neurologic issues are the last thing to think of in your age.
More common are some benign issues such as already mentioned electrolit disbalance, anxiety,carpal tunnel syndrome, diabetes, neck spine issues etc.
I suggest to wait and see if things will improve after iron supplements.
If there is worsening then some neurologic testing to rule out multiple sclerosis or neuropathies should be done. Wish you good health. Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad