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Iron deficiency (medicine)

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ICD-10 E61.1
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ICD-9 280.9
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Inhaltsverzeichnis

  • 1 Introduction
  • 2 Causes
  • 3 Symptoms
  • 4 Likely lab test results in people with iron deficiency
  • 5 Consequences
  • 6 Treatment
  • 7 External links

Introduction

Iron deficiency (or "sideropenia") is the most common known form of nutritional deficiency. In the humanbody, ironis present in all cellsand has several vital functions -- as a carrier of oxygento the tissues from the lungsin the form of hemoglobin, as a facilitator of oxygen use and storage in the muscles as myoglobin, as a transport medium for electrons within the cells in the form of cytochromes, and as an integral part of enzymereactions in various tissues. Too little iron can interfere with these vital functions and lead to morbidityand mortality.

The direct consequence of iron deficiency is iron deficiency anemia. Groups that are most prone to developing this disease are children, and pre-menopausalwomen.

Total body iron averages approximately 3.8 g in men and 2.3 g in women. There are several mechanisms that control human iron metabolismand safeguard against iron deficiency. The main regulatory mechanism is situated in the gastrointestinal tract. When loss of iron is not sufficiently compensated by adequate intake after some time that is determined by the state of body iron storage, iron deficiency develops.

Causes

  • chronic bleeding(hemoglobincontains iron)
    • excessive menstrual bleeding
    • non-menstrual bleeding
    • bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract(ulcers, hemorrhoids, etc.)
    • rarely laryngologicalbleeding or from the respiratory tract
  • inadequate intake (special diets low in dietary iron)
  • substances (in diet or drugs) interfering with iron absorption
  • malabsorptionsyndromes
  • genetic defectsof iron metabolism

Symptoms

Symptoms of iron deficiency are not characteristic, however the following may be present:

  • Pale skin color (pallor)
  • Fatigue
  • Irritability
  • Weakness
  • Shortness of breath
  • Sore tongue
  • Brittle nails
  • Unusual food cravings
  • Decreased appetite
  • Headache

Likely lab test results in people with iron deficiency

  • A full blood countwould likely reveal microcytic anemia
  • Low serum ferritin
  • Low serum iron
  • High TIBC(total iron binding capacity)
  • A possibly positive fecal occult bloodtest, if iron deficiency is the result of gastrointestinal bleeding.

As always, lab values have to be interpreted with the lab's reference valuesin mind and considering all aspects of the individual clinical situation.

Consequences

Continued iron deficiency may lead to worsening anemia and fatigue. Thrombocytosis, or an elevated plateletcount, can also result.

Treatment

Before any treatment is commenced there should be definitive diagnosis of the underlying cause for iron deficiency, particularly in older patients who are most susceptible to colorectal cancer.

If the cause is benign, temporary or not easily treatable, people can receive iron supplements in the form of ferrous sulfatetablets.

External links

  • Recommendations to Prevent and Control Iron Deficiency in the United Statesde:Eisenmangel

dk:Jernmangel

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/Iron_deficiency_%28medicine%29"



This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron+deficiency+%28medicine%29 Wikipedia article Iron deficiency (medicine).

 
  All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License