Does iron deficiency cause a pain around the belly button?

Question

Hello doctor,

A few days ago one of my female friends had pain around the belly button. She went to a physician and was told that it could be because of a decrease in iron in the blood. Does iron deficiency relate to pain near the stomach? What can be the other causes?

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Yes, it can be related. One of the causes of a low hemoglobin count is low iron in the body, which may occur either due to inadequate diet or excessive loss from the stools or menstruation. There are multiple causes, and we need to confirm it by hemoglobin level, serum iron studies, and stool for occult blood testing. If bleeding occurs due to acidity and gastritis, especially if associated with nausea, bloating, burping, pain on eating, sour water feeling in the throat or chest burning, then she should:

Avoid fatty, oily and spicy foods.
Have a walk after having food, instead of taking rest.
Have multiple small meals instead of heavy meals.
Have regular sleep habits and avoid stress.
Lots of green leafy vegetables and fruits.
Also, she should have tablet Pan DSR 40 mg or esomeprazole domperidone combination before breakfast once a day for two weeks.
For immediate pain relief, she can have an antispasmodic like tablet Dicyclomine 20 mg or Hyoscine 10 mg, whenever needed up to three times a day.

If she is bleeding due to a worm infestation, then she should have tablet Bandy plus once at bedtime, to be repeated after two weeks. To confirm this she will need stool routine examination. Hope this helps. Get back if you have any doubts.

For more information consult an internal medicine physician.