Iron Deficiency Anemia – Symptoms & Causes

Question. Write note on Iron-Defiiency Anemia.
Or
Write short note on clinical features and investigations of iron defiiency anemia.
Or
Write Iron Defiiency Anemia under following headings:

• Iron Defiiency Anemia Etiology
• Iron Defiiency Anemia Clinical Features
• Iron Defiiency Anemia Investigations
• Iron Defiiency Anemia Treatment

Write etiology, clinical features and treatment of iron defiiency anemia.

Answer. Iron defiiency anemia is commonest cause of anemia and is a microcytic hypochromic anemia.

Iron Defiiency Anemia Causes/ Etiology

1. Due to increased blood loss:

• Gastrointestinal: Peptic ulcer, piles, hookworm manifestation,
• Carcinoma of the stomach, acute erosive gastritis, ulcerative colitis
• Lung: Due to hemoptysis
• Renal: Hemoglobinuric and haematuria
• Uterine: Menorrhagia, post-menopausal uterine bleeding.
• Nose: Epistaxis

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2. Due to increased body demands:

• In adolescence
• During prematurity
• In pregnancy and lactation.

3. Due to inadequate dietary intake:

• In low socioeconomic status
• In elder patients with loss of teeth
• Anorexia of pregnancy.

4. Decreased absorption:

• In achlorhydria
• In patients with malabsorption
• In cases with gastrectomy.

Blood Diseases Symptoms

Iron Deficiency Anemia Symptoms

• Tiredness
• Weakness
• Lethargy
• Loss of appetite
• Headache and bodyache
• Inability to concentrate, giddiness
• Breathlessness
• Epigastric discomfort.

Iron Deficiency Anemia Signs

• Pallor
• Palpitation
• Angular stomatitis
• Atrophic gastritis
• Flattning or spoon-shaped nails, i.e. platynychia and koilonychia
• Tongue is pale and smooth
• Glossitis
• Hepatosplenomegaly
• Pulmmer­Vinson syndrome, i.e. dysphagia and cricoid webs.

Iron Deficiency Anemia Investigations

1. Blood picture and red cell indices:

• Hemoglobin: Fall on hemoglobin concentration.
• Red cells: RBCs in blood fim are hypochromatic and microcytic and there is anisocytosis, poikilocytosis and elliptocytosis.
• Reticulocyte count: Normal or reduced.
• Absolute values: MCV, MCH and MCHC are decreased.
• Leukocytes: Usually normal
• Platelets: Usually normal but raised if bleeding is cause of anemia.
• ESR: Value of ESR is low

Blood Diseases Symptoms

2. Bone marrow findings:

• Marrow cellularity: Marrow cellularity is increased due to erythroid hyperplasia.
• Erythropoiesis: Normoblastic erythropoiesis.
  Marrow iron is defiient.

3. Biochemical fidings:

• Serum iron level is low.
• Total iron­binding capacity is high.
• Serum ferritin is very low.

Iron Deficiency Anemia Management

• Proper physical and mental rest.
• Good nourishing diet with supplementation of foods rich in iron.
• Oral iron therapy: Ferrous sulphate 200 mg TID is given in between the meals. If after taking the drug, there is any abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting or constipation, the salt is changed to ferrous gluconate or ferrous fumarate. Oral iron therapy should be given for 6 months.
• Parenteral iron therapy: Iron sorbitol ciric acid complex 1.5 mg/kg body weight is given as IM or Iron dextran in 5% glucose is given as IV
• Blood transfusion: Packed red cells are transfused.