You have 3000-4000mg in the body and only need to absorb 4-10mg a day. It can take 3-7 years to develop #irondeficiency. Iron deficiency is indicated by #Ferritin < 16 and transferrin saturations < 18% – when this low you can become #anaemic Hb<13 with small red cells MCV<80. At this point the body is #empty of iron and you need at least 1000mg to catch up.
Do the math if you are iron deficient you need at least 100-200 days of good iron absorption (4-10mg per day) to restore your #irondeficiency.
Intravenous iron is used when there is failure of oral iron – so no improvement after 6-12 weeks. The treatment is an iron infusion. This is good news as an #ironinfusion will restore 1000-1600mg in one go and therefore restock your iron stores.
What is iron deficiency?
| Test | Result | Medical Term | Meaning |
| Ferritin | < 15 | Absolute Iron Deficiency | EMPTY there is no petrol in the tank |
| Ferritin | < 30 | Iron Depleted | On the reserve tank |
Treatment
Good well balanced diet rich in Iron (meat), no alcohol or tea/coffee. Iron tablets (65mg elemental iron a day – if intolerant, try alternate days)
What is failure of treatment
If anaemic – Hb does not increase by 1g/dl or 10g/L over 1 month
If iron deficient – Ferritin does not increase over 30 in 3 months
Iron Infusion
Failure of oral iron or intolerant then get an iron infusion. You need 20mg of iron per KG body weight so if 75kg then 1500mg.
I am ill is it the same?
In a hospitalised patient such as after surgery or a patient where there is active disease-causing inflammation (kidney disease or inflammatory bowel disease) then Ferritin is not accurate so:
| Ferritin & tsats | < 100 < 20 |
functional Iron Deficiency | Normal service is ‘On Strike’ If you want iron – get an infusion |
