Iron-deficiency Anaemia (1) Flashcards
Iron in the Body:
How is it absorbed and transported?
What is the excess iron stored as?
What regulates Iron levels?
→ What are the levels of this regulated by?
➊ Absorbed in duodenum, and transported bound to Transferrin
➋ Ferritin
➌ Hepcidin
→ Iron concentrations and erythropoietic demand
What’s its most common cause?
What are other causes?
How does it present?
➊ Chronic blood loss e.g. menstruation
➋ • Reduced Intake - Poor diet, Malabsorption, Increased demand (pregnancy)
• Increased Loss
➌ • Symptoms - Fatigue, SOB, Dizziness, Headache
• Signs - Koilonychia, Tachycardia, Tachypnoea, Angular stomatitis, Atrophic glossitis, Hair loss
Iron Studies in Iron Deficiency:
Why isn’t serum Iron a diagnostic tool?
How are Ferritin levels affected?
→ When would it not be as good of a diagnostic tool?
What is Total Iron Binding Capacity? How does a deficiency affect it?
What is Transferrin Saturation? How does a deficiency affect it?
➊ Hugely variable throughout the day
➋ Low
→ During infection as ferritin is raised with inflammation
➌ Measurement of the Transferrin capacity to bind to Fe - High with deficiency
➍ Serum Fe/Total Iron Binding Capacity, which gives the % of Transferrin binding sites occupied by Fe - Low with deficiency
How is it managed?
→ What is the main SE of this?
→ When can’t it be used?
How should the pt be monitored?
➊ PO Ferrous Sulfate 200mg TDS
→ Constipation and Black stools
→ If malabsorption is the cause
➋ FBC within first 4 wks
