Terri D Johnson-Wimbley, David Y Graham
Iron deficiency is the single most prevalent nutritional deficiency worldwide. It accounts for anemia in 5% of American women and 2% of American men. The goal of this review article is to assist practitioners in understanding the physiology of iron metabolism and to aid in accurately diagnosing iron deficiency anemia. The current first line of therapy for patients with iron deficiency anemia is oral iron supplementation. Oral supplementation is cheap, safe, and effective at correcting iron deficiency anemia; however, it is not tolerated by some patients and in a subset of patients it is insufficient...
May 2011: Therapeutic Advances in Gastroenterology