Iron Deficiency Anemia Diagnosed in the Private Practice Setting
November 2011
in “
Blood
”
Studysummary In this study, iron deficiency anemia was prevalent among female patients, primarily due to heavy menstrual bleeding linked to uterine fibroids, and was often treated successfully with intravenous iron. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
The study examined 130 patients diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in a community-based hematology-oncology practice. The majority of patients were female (94%) and premenopausal, with heavy menstrual blood loss due to uterine fibroids being the most common cause (67%), followed by gastric bypass surgery (24%). Symptoms included tiredness, weakness, brittle nails, hair loss, and pica, with unusual cravings such as ice, clay, and paper. Laboratory findings showed low ferritin levels and thrombocytosis in some patients. The study concluded that IDA was often inadequately assessed and treated, recommending early identification and treatment with intravenous iron, which improved symptoms rapidly, including resolving pica within two weeks. Reactions to intravenous iron were rare and manageable.
