Iron deficiency anaemia - causes and solutions
Introduction to the Day
Lynne Hubbard (Specialist Dietitian, St ThomasÂ’ Hospital, London)
Talk 1: Iron deficiency anaemia - causes and solutions
Dr Neil Smith (Consultant Haematologist, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital) reviews causes of anaemia in EB, how it affects iron metabolism and how to interpret measurements of iron used in clinical practice. He highlights the problem of distinguishing anaemia caused by iron deficiency from that of chronic disease or episodes of acute illness.
Dr Jemma Mellerio (Consultant Dermatologist, Great Ormond Street and St ThomasÂ’ Hospital) shows haematological data on 54 patients with EB. Comparison of haemoglobin with other markers of iron levels showed that iron assessment in EB is not straightforward. Inflammation, as a common feature of EB, produces changes consistent with the anaemia of chronic disease.
