Iron Deficiency Anemia
Hematology · ~5% of blueprint- Pathophysiology
- ↓ iron stores → ↓ hemoglobin synthesis → microcytic, hypochromic anemia; chronic blood loss is the most common cause.
- Signs & Symptoms
- Fatigue, pallor, dyspnea; pica, koilonychia, glossitis; history of menorrhagia or GI bleeding.
- Gold Standard Diagnosis
- Microcytic anemia (↓ MCV); ↓ ferritin (most specific), ↓ serum iron, ↑ TIBC.
- First-line Treatment
- Oral iron supplementation; identify and treat the source of blood loss.
Drug cardsFerrous Sulfate
High-Yield Pearl
Low ferritin is the most specific test; unexplained IDA in men and postmenopausal women needs bidirectional endoscopy.
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Sources
Reviewed September 2026- British Society of Gastroenterology guidelines for the management of iron deficiency anaemia in adults (Gut 2021) — British Society of Gastroenterology, 2021
- StatPearls: Iron Deficiency and Microcytic Hypochromic Anemia — StatPearls Publishing / NCBI Bookshelf, 2026
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