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Query: UMLS:C0240066 (iron deficiency)
 7,156 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Screening for iron deficiency was offered to 485 pre-school children in one practice. A questionnaire asking for details of the child's birth, diet, medical history and social status was sent to all the families of these children. Three hundred and eleven children (64% of the total) had blood samples taken for haemoglobin concentration, mean corpuscular volume and serum ferritin levels. Fifty four of the children (17%) were iron deficient (serum ferritin less than 10 micrograms l-1 or mean corpuscular volume less than 75 fl), while 10 (3%) had iron deficiency anaemia (haemoglobin level less than 10.5 g dl-1). The prevalence of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia were not significantly associated with any social class. However, there was a higher prevalence among social class 3 children than children from other social classes, 29% of them having covert iron deficiency, while 6% were frankly anaemic. As there are no ethnic minorities in the practice, dietary inadequacy was likely to be the main cause of iron deficiency. After receiving iron supplements for up to three months, all the children who were iron deficient or anaemic and attended for follow up had normalized blood values. In view of the high prevalence of iron deficiency throughout the social classes, and its association with developmental delay and behavioural disorders, screening will be offered to all children when they attend for measles, mumps and rubella immunization, and those who do not attend will be followed up.
Br J Gen Pract 1990 Mar
PMID:Prevalence of iron deficiency in rural pre-school children in Northern Ireland. 211 45

The authors analyzed the value of using mean corpuscular volume (MCV) as a guide for selecting tests for further evaluation of anemia in hospitalized patients. Of the 2,082 patients with anemia admitted to the medical service of a teaching hospital over one year, 655 (31%) had further diagnostic tests to evaluate the cause of the anemia. Within this group of 655 patients, 399 (61%) had normal MCVs. Over half the patients with abnormal serum vitamin B12, folate, or ferritin levels, or with low serum iron (Fe) levels with elevated total iron-binding capacity (TIBC), did not have the MCVs expected according to the classification of anemia proposed by Wintrobe. Furthermore, 5% of patients with evidence of iron deficiency had high MCVs, and about 12% of patients with decreased vitamin B12 levels had low MCVs. The MCV was quite specific in identifying patients who had low ferritin levels: specificity was 83%; however, sensitivity was only 48%. The MCV was also specific (88%) for identifying patients who had low Fe with elevated TIBC; however, sensitivity was only 43%. The MCV was poor in identifying patients with abnormalities of serum vitamin B12 and folate levels. In this study the MCV did not provide sufficient diagnostic accuracy to be a useful criterion for the selection of more definitive tests in the evaluation of anemia in hospitalized patients.
J Gen Intern Med
PMID:Does the mean corpuscular volume help physicians evaluate hospitalized patients with anemia? 234 27

Iron deficiency in children has been associated with behavioural disorder and developmental delay. Screening for iron deficiency was offered to all 527 children aged between one and four years in an inner city practice. Half the children belong to an ethnic minority group, and there is widespread social deprivation in the area. Capillary haemoglobin concentration and mean corpuscular volume were estimated in 365 children (69%). Dietary history, birth weight and current weight were also recorded. Fifty-eight (16%) of the children were iron deficient as defined by a mean corpuscular volume of less than 75 fl and/or a haemoglobin concentration of less than 10.5 g dl(-1). All were hypochromic and among 23 tested all had serum ferritin levels below 10microg I(-1). Twenty-one children (5.8%) were anaemic (haemoglobin concentration less than 10.5 g dl(-1)). Anaemia was significantly more common among children who were currently underweight but was not related to weight at birth. Iron deficiency was significantly more prevalent in non-Caucasian children - 25.0% compared with 7.8% of Caucasian children. There was also a significant linear decrease in iron deficiency with increasing age. Sex, weight at birth, current weight, whether breast fed, age weaned or whether on a vegetarian diet were not significant factors in iron deficiency. Iron supplements were given to all the children with iron deficiency.In view of the high prevalence of iron deficiency, all children in the practice are now routinely offered screening for iron deficiency at the age of 14 months. The programme has been welcomed by all parents. It is suggested that screening for iron deficiency should be part of routine child surveillance.
J R Coll Gen Pract 1988 Jun
PMID:Iron deficiency in inner city pre-school children: development of a general practice screening programme. 325 9

To evaluate the performance of serum iron studies as a diagnostic test for iron-deficiency anemia in a county hospital, the authors identified retrospectively all general medicine patients who had had bone-marrow aspirates for the work-up of non-macrocytic anemias from 1978 through 1983. Re-reading a sample of aspirates from the 254 study patients (42 with iron deficiency) verified the presence or absence of iron. Analysis with logistic regression, likelihood ratios, and receiver operating characteristic curves demonstrated that the total iron-binding capacity (TIBC) performed markedly better as a diagnostic test than did the transferrin saturation test. While no single TIBC level was diagnostic, the TIBC provided a good estimate of the probability of iron-deficiency anemia.
J Gen Intern Med
PMID:The value of serum iron studies as a test for iron-deficiency anemia in a county hospital. 358 70

Post-gastrectomy deficiency syndromes were investigated in a rural practice. The main finding was a high prevalence of iron deficiency both with and without anaemia. Regular checks on iron level in the follow-up of these patients is suggested.
J R Coll Gen Pract 1985 Jan
PMID:The detection of post-gastrectomy deficiency syndromes in general practice. 397 50

Iron is one of the most important micronutrients for plants. Like other organisms, plants have developed active mechanisms for the acquisition of sufficient iron from the soil. Nevertheless, very little is known about the genetic mechanisms that control the active uptake. In tomato, two spontaneously derived mutants are available, which are defective in key steps that control this process. The recessive mutation chloronerva (chln) affects a gene which controls the synthesis of the non-protein amino acid nicotianamine (NA), a key component in the iron physiology of plants. The root system of the recessive mutant fer is unable to induce any of the characteristic responses to iron deficiency and iron uptake is thus completely blocked. We present a characterization of the double mutant, showing that the fer gene is epistatic over the chln gene and thus very likely to be one of the major genetic elements controlling iron physiology in tomato. In order to gain access to these two genes at the molecular level, both mutants were precisely mapped onto the high density RFLP map of tomato. The chln gene is located on chromosome 1 and the fer gene is on chromosome 6 of tomato. Using this high-resolution map, a chromosome walk has been started to isolate the fer gene by map-based cloning. The isolation of the fer gene will provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms of iron uptake control in plants.
Mol Gen Genet 1996 Aug 27
PMID:Genetic analysis of two tomato mutants affected in the regulation of iron metabolism. 880 7

Aspirin is being increasingly prescribed for cardiovascular protection, but is also recognized to have significant gastrointestinal side-effects. Whether chronic aspirin consumption causes iron deficiency is undetermined, and there is little information available regarding iron deficiency and aspirin use in old age. We studied the relationship between iron deficiency anaemia and regular aspirin prescription in old age.
Br J Gen Pract 1999 Sep
PMID:Iron deficiency anaemia and aspirin use in old age. 1075 16

Secondary erythrocytosis of cyanotic congenital heart disease (CCHD) is pathologically different from primary erythrocytosis of polycythemia vera (PV). An association between elevated hematocrit and thrombosis has been established in PV patients, and treatment guidelines recommend maintaining hematocrit <45%. Although an association between elevated hematocrit and thrombosis has not been established in CCHD and secondary erythrocytosis, the current clinical practice is to phlebotomize these patients to hematocrit <65%. We report a 21-year-old woman with CCHD who presented with symptomatic erythrocytosis with numbness and tingling with hemoglobin 25.2 g/dl and hematocrit 75.8%. Her symptoms resolved with IV hydration. Other factors, including dehydration and iron deficiency, may precipitate hyperviscosity symptoms. The treatment is volume replacement and low-dose iron therapy, not phlebotomy. Repeated phlebotomy causes iron deficiency with microcytic erythrocytes, which increases the whole blood viscosity and, therefore, can potentially accentuate rather than decrease the risk for a cerebrovascular accident.
J Gen Intern Med 2007 Dec
PMID:Cyanotic congenital heart disease (CCHD) with symptomatic erythrocytosis. 1791 83

Iron is necessary for the normal development of multiple vital processes. Iron deficiency (ID) may be caused by several diseases, even by physiological situations that increase requirements for this mineral. One of its possible causes is a poor dietary iron intake, which is infrequent in developed countries, but quite common in developing areas. In these countries, dietary ID is highly prevalent and comprises a real public health problem and a challenge for health authorities. ID, with or without anemia, can cause important symptoms that are not only physical, but can also include a decreased intellectual performance. All this, together with a high prevalence, can even have negative implications for a community's economic and social development. Treatment consists of iron supplements. Prevention of ID obviously lies in increasing the dietary intake of iron, which can be difficult in developing countries. In these regions, foods with greater iron content are scarce, and attempts are made to compensate this by fortifying staple foods with iron. The effectiveness of this strategy is endorsed by multiple studies. On the other hand, in developed countries, ID with or without anemia is nearly always associated with diseases that trigger a negative balance between iron absorption and loss. Its management will be based on the treatment of underlying diseases, as well as on oral iron supplements, although these latter are limited by their tolerance and low potency, which on occasions may compel a change to intravenous administration. Iron deficiency has a series of peculiarities in pediatric patients, in the elderly, in pregnant women, and in patients with dietary restrictions, such as celiac disease.
Int J Gen Med 2011
PMID:Optimal management of iron deficiency anemia due to poor dietary intake. 2211 18