Iron Deficiency Anaemia

 Iron Deficiency Anaemia

Aetiology

1.Age:Any.

2.Sex Male<Female.

             .Women are given less nutrition due to social reasons, if there is less food.

             .Menstrual blood loss every month.

             .Loss of iron to the baby during pregnancy and lactation.

3.Nutritional deficiency of iron.

4.Hook worm infestation.

5.Inadequate absorption of iron.

              .Deficiency of hydrochloric acid.

              .Vitamin C deficiency.

              .Malabsorption syndromes.

              .Surgical resection of stomach and small bowel.

6.Excessive loss of blood from the body

               .Piles.                            

               .peptic ulcer.

               .Hook worms.

               .Menorrhagia.

 

Clinical features

1.See under ‘anaemia’.

2.Skin:Dry.

3.Nails:Spoon-shape, flat,brittle.

4.Hair:Dry,brown.

5.Tongue:smooth,stomatitis.

 

Investigations

1.Haemoglobin:Less than 12.5g% in a female.

2.Peripheral smear: Hypochromia,microcytosis,anisocytosis, Poikilocytosis.

3.Blood indices

            .Low corpuscular haemoglobin

            .Low corpuscular haemoglobin concentration.

            .Low corpuscular volume.

4.Stools

            .Hookworms or their eggs.

              .Blood or occult blood.

5.Barium meal:for  peptic ulcer.

6.Barium enema:for ulcerative colitis.

7.Rectal examination and proctoscopy:for piles.

8.Bone marrow stainable iron: Low.

9.Serum iron;Low.

10.Serum transferrin saturation :Less than 33%.

 

Treatment

 

1.Treatment of the cause.

2.Adequate intake of iron in diet

           .Green leafy vegetables.

           .Jaggery.

           .Mutton,fish,liver,eggs.

           .Fruits:Banana,guava.

3.Parenteral iron therapy.

            .When  the patient does not respond to oral iron therapy.

            .When the patient does not tolerate oral iron therapy.

            .When the patient does not take oral iron therapy ,despite adequate counseling.

4.Oral iron therapy: