Abstract
Gastrointestinal causes of sideropenic anemia are very common. For this reason, a specialized endoscopic examination is indicated in at least 15% of gastroenterology patients.
The leading causes of anemia are drug-induced gastrointestinal ulcers (NSAID gastropathy, NSA enteropathy) and cancer. Less frequent causes include the failure of iron absorption in celiac disease or the effects of massive bleeding in the digestive tract.
Patients with inflammatory bowel dis-eases represent a specific population, and anemia is present in 70% of them. It is usually a combination of sideropenic anemia with anemia resulting from chronic inflammation.
Preparations containing iron bound in carbohydrate complexes (carboxymaltose) represent a significant advance in the treatment of intravenous sideropenic anemia. Unlike iron bound to gluconate or dextran, this new intravenous iron substitution is a highly effective and safe treatment modality.