Iron Deficiency Anemia Case Studies

Hemochromatosis, also called iron overload, is a disease when the body absorbs too much iron from the food we eat and most often affects the liver, heart, pancreas, and skin. It is usually caused by genes in the body that mutate keeping them from working. Some signs and symptoms of this disease are weakness, joint pain, low libido, and/or if the disease has progressed to far diabetes or heart failure. Hemochromatosis is one of the more difficult diseases to diagnose because many symptoms are nonspecific and usually many people don’t show as many symptoms except elevated iron levels in their blood. Most will be treated with blood transfusions until the normal level of iron is reached. If diagnosed early the prognosis is excellent with possible checkups or phlebotomies.

Yesterday, your nine-year-old patient was in to the office with complaints of fatigue and restless legs, especially at night. Laboratory tests were ordered and today the results showed that your patient has iron deficiency anemia. Iron replacement therapy is prescribed. All of the following could potentially interfere with iron absorption except:

Dalia and I reviewed her labs from 06/11 and advised the patient they were normal and iron was not needed. The patient advise us she had a new set of labs done on Wednesday. We advise that those labs were not in the system and once they appear in the system, we will give them to you ,so you can determine if she needs iron.

Your doctor will look for symptoms of anemia and other physical clues that might point to a cause. There are basically three different causes of anemia: blood loss, decreased or faulty red blood cell production, or destruction of red blood cells Complete blood count (CBC), which determines the number, size, volume, and hemoglobin content of red blood cells . Blood iron level and your serum ferritin level, the best indicators of your body's total iron stores . Levels of vitamin B12 and folate, vitamins necessary for red blood cell production . Special blood tests to detect rare causes of anemia, such as an immune attack on your red blood cells, red blood cell fragility, and defects of enzymes, hemoglobin, and clotting Reticulocyte count, bilirubin, and other blood and urine tests to determine how quickly your blood cells are being made or if you have a hemolytic anemia, where your red blood cells .Only in rare cases will a doctor need to remove a sample of bone marrow to determine the cause of your anemia.Medical professionals use medication,therapy, surgery, and

Do you feel weakness, dizziness with the lack of energy? Do you have pale/grayish skin and dull and haggard look? If you have these symptoms then visit your doctor because these are the main symptoms of anemia.

According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute report, tests to measure iron levels are the serum ferritin, serum iron, and transferrin level. Tests will look at mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC). Complete blood count (CBC) looks at your hemoglobin and hematocrit levels. Red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets are accessed. Abnormal results may indicate a blood disorder, infection or another condition. (2014)

Rationale: The patient is showing signs of anemia. She presents with pallor skin, racing heart, and fatigue. The patient’s lab results also indicates anemia. Her hemoglobin, hematocrit, and MCV are below the normal level. The MCHC level is 25g/L, which is concerning for blood loss over time. Her serum iron is also low at 15mcg/dl. The lab results and presenting symptoms indicate iron deficiency anemia. The patient reports that she is a picky eater, and she does not eat many vegetables or meats. She also reports menses that last 7 days with two to three heavy days. According to Abrams (2017), heavy menstrual blood loss (>80 mL/month) increases risk for iron deficiency anemia. The treatment plan will include administrations of iron supplements and dietary management. It would be important to address the issues of heavy bleeding and dietary issues with the patient to optimize her plan of care.

Based on the results of this study I would recommend iron supplementation in pregnant women. Because taking a 30 to 50 mg iron supplement during the crucial second half of your pregnancy will ensure that you're getting what you and your baby need. Remember that during pregnancy, an iron supplement should be taken in addition to your prenatal vitamins. Also, there are plenty of ways to get iron from the foods you eat, it’s always good to have extra insurance when it comes to this vital nutrient.

Iron deficiency anemia is a condition in which your blood lacks the appropriate amount of healthy red blood cells. Iron deficiency anemia is the most common form of anemia. Iron deficiency at crucial times of growth and development can develop into premature births, low birth weight babies, delayed growth and development, delayed normal infant activity and movement. Iron deficiency can result in poor memory or poor cognitive skills (mental function) and can result in poor actions in everyday life. Iron is an important part of red blood cells. Without iron, blood cannot carry oxygen effectively.

Iron deficiency anemia is diagnosed by complete blood test, which mesures the red blood cells(RBC), white blood cells(WBC), hemoglobin, hematocrit and platelets. The test will help to identify the level of iron in the blood, size and color of RBCs because RBCs are pale in color in iron deficiency anemia. In fact, In iron deficiency anemia, hemoglobin, hematocrit, mean cellular volume (MCV) ferritin, serum iron and iron saturation will be low in the blood. Level of hemoglobin, hematocrit, erethrocytes count are also low in Ms. A.

Studies have shown that folate deficiency megaloblastic anemia is associated with dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) deficiency due to mutations in the DHFR gene. In order for tetrahydrofolate (THR) to be able to participate in the de novo synthesis of DNA building blocks, it needs to be regenerated from dihydrofolate (DHR). Regeneration of THR requires DHR to be reduced by the enzyme DHFR. Hence, a deficiency in DHFR will cause inability for THR to regenerate, leading to impaired DNA synthesis and reduced cell divisions. This then results in immature red blood cells (RBC) being released from the bone marrow into the peripheral blood stream. Various other diseases have been associated with megaloblastic anemia including increased risk of cardiovascular disease, birth deformities and/or stunted development and neurological symptoms such as psychosis and hallucinations. Although latest diagnostic tests are less invasive, more sensitive and take into consideration genetic factors, there is still potential room for improvement as there have been instances of misdiagnosis. Overlapping symptoms between megaloblastic anemia and other disorders such as schizophrenia, childhood absence epilepsy and other types of anemia proves a real challenge that needs to be overcome. Better treatment options such as gene therapy should also be looked into in order to improve patients’ quality of life.

If two people with blood type A, both with the AO genotype, the proportion of their children that would be expected to have blood type O would be 25%. (See chart) The underlying principles that allowed me to answer this question could potentially be relevant to me personally because I also have a certain blood type. My blood type was determined by my two parents genotype. This is what allows us to find out what the Mendelian traits are in a couple - Such as if the man has Huntingtins and the female does not; an expert will tell that couple the probability of that trait occurring in your offspring.

There are three specific blood tests which make up an Iron Panel Test. All three of them test for a serum called ferritin, serum iron, and total iron-binding capacity. These tests are not performed individually, but as a panel so the results

The environment plays a significant role in the inheritance and expression of sickle cell anemia. Things like, cold/windy weather, decreased air quality, dehydration, anything that causes an increased physiological need for oxygen ie - increasing HR/BP and vasoconstriction or altering erythrocyte oxygen binding can potentially cause an SCA attack/incident (Tewari 2015). The majority of environmental factors affecting the severity of sickle cell anemia are related to fetal hemoglobin (HbF) concentrations (the most studied genetic modulator of SCA) and α thalassemia. High concentrations of HbF (in those affect by SCA, HbF is typically about 20%) prevents clinically significant sickle hemoglobin (HbS) polymerization (formation of sickled erythrocytes).

iron deficiency of iron in the blood. The following supplies were used in the lab,