Indications
Iron supplements are used in medicine to treat iron deficiency and iron-deficiency anemia; parenteral irons can also be used to treat functional iron deficiency, where requirements for iron are greater than the body's ability to supply iron such as in inflammatory states. The main criteria is that other causes of anemia have been ruled out, such as vitamin B12/folate deficiency, drug induced or due to other poisons such as lead. Iron deficiency anemia is microcytic, hypochromic anemia. Generally, oral preparations are trialled before using parenteral delivery.
There are three main causes of iron deficiency anemia: dietary (too little present or difficult to absorb), increased requirements (body failing to utilize iron stores adequately) and increased loss (many causes which include chronic blood loss from the GI tract as well as heavy menstruation as well as acute loss from trauma).
Often the presentation is a mixed picture with several concurrent factors, such as cases of irritable bowel disease with chronic loss, reduced oral absorption due to inflammation leading due to increased hepcidin levels and reduced amount in diet due to poor appetite. Preventive measures must be discussed with the patient (for example when the patient is on a strict vegetarian diet because inorganic iron in plants has a lower bioavailability, or elderly patients with a poor diet).
Read more about this topic: Iron Supplements
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