Iron deficiency anaemia and isolated iron deficiency are common in children and pre-menopausal women. However, in male adults and post-menopausal women this condition is most frequently caused by gastrointestinal blood loss or malabsorption. The prevalence of gastrointestinal lesions makes the examination by endoscopy of both upper and lower gastrointestinal tracts essential. Further investigations, when the initial exams are negative, are only warranted in cases of multiple transfusions, visible blood loss or lack of response to oral iron supplementation. In these cases examinations should be focused on the small bowel by radiological methods or more recently using capsule endoscopy and double balloon enteroscopy. Nuclear medicine and angiography have a limited role to play in this investigation as both have restricted indications for visible gastrointestinal hemorrhages not detected by endoscopic methods. Treatment varies according to the source and severity of bleeding and iron deficiency.
Iron deficiency; anemia; gastrointestinal hemorrhage; intestinal diseases; endoscopy, gastrointestinal
