Iron deficiency and anemia in patients with inherited bleeding disorders

Heather VanderMeulen; Michelle Sholzberg

doi:10.1016/j.transci.2018.10.015

Iron deficiency and anemia in patients with inherited bleeding disorders

Transfus Apher Sci. 2018 Dec;57(6):735-738. doi: 10.1016/j.transci.2018.10.015. Epub 2018 Nov 17.

Authors

Heather VanderMeulen¹, Michelle Sholzberg²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
² Departments of Medicine and Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, St. Michael's Hospital, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. Electronic address: sholzbergm@smh.ca.

PMID: 30470664
DOI: 10.1016/j.transci.2018.10.015

Abstract

Patients with inherited bleeding disorders are predisposed to acute and chronic blood loss, which places them at high risk of iron deficiency anemia (IDA). The clinical effects of iron deficiency (ID) and IDA in the general population are significant and include low energy, reduced cardiovascular health, impaired cognition and reduced health-related quality of life. However, the incidence and impact of ID and IDA in patients with bleeding disorders is largely unknown. Here we review our approach to the diagnosis and management of iron deficiency in patients with inherited bleeding disorders. Given their risk of future iron losses, we propose more aggressive iron supplementation and higher target ferritin values in patients with ID and ongoing bleeding.

Keywords: Anemia; Inherited bleeding disorder; Iron deficiency; von Willlebrand disease.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / complications*
Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / diagnosis
Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / therapy
Blood Coagulation Disorders / complications*
Blood Coagulation Disorders / genetics*
Humans
Inheritance Patterns / genetics*
Iron / therapeutic use
Risk Factors

Substances

Iron