Anaemia

Question 1

What is the definition of iron deficiency anaemia?

Answer 1

occurs in the more severe stages of iron deficiency when the body is iron deficient to the degree that red blood cell production is reduced

Question 2

What are the causes of iron def anaemia?

Answer 2

• Gastrointestinal causes — blood loss from the gastrointestinal tract is the most common cause of iron deficiency anaemia in adult men and postmenopausal women, and can be caused by aspirin or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use, colonic carcinoma, gastric carcinoma, benign gastric ulceration, or angiodysplasia.
• Gynaecological causes:
• Menstruation — the most common cause of iron deficiency anaemia in premenopausal women (20–30% of cases).
• Pregnancy — physiological iron requirements are three times higher in pregnancy than they are in menstruating women, with increasing demand as pregnancy advances
• Malabsorption, for example due to Coeliac disease, gastrectomy, and Helicobacter pylori infection.
• Other causes, such as blood donation.