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Article: Iron deficiency is one of the commonest causes of anaemia in adults.(Iron deficiency anaemia--a gastroenterologist's perspective)(Report)
- Article from:
- CME: Your SA Journal of CPD
- Article date:
- May 1, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 South African Medical Association. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In premenopausal women menstrual blood loss is the commonest, but not the only, cause of iron deficiency. In men and women over 50, gastrointestinal (GIT) blood loss becomes more important and may be the only marker of significant GIT pathology, such as colonic or gastric cancer. There are many other GIT causes for iron deficiency anaemia, including poor dietary intake, previous gastrectomy, NSAID use and malabsorbtion (most likely due to coeliac disease in patients of European origin, even in South Africa).
As colon and gastric cancer are two of the most common causes of cancer death world wide, an iron deficiency anaemia, however mild, should never be ignored ...
<15 [micro]g/l is diagnostic of iron deficiency. If ferritin is>