Calculations for treatments for iron deficiency anaemia

Nuttall, Dilyse orcid iconORCID: 0000-0002-0561-5229 (2016) Calculations for treatments for iron deficiency anaemia. Nurse Prescribing, 14 (7). pp. 326-327. ISSN 2052-2924

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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.12968/npre.2016.14.7.326

Abstract

Oral iron is the first-line treatment for iron deficiency anaemia, alongside dietary advice, but the prescriber should exclude any serious underlying causes
Iron deficiency occurs when dietary absorption does not sufficiently meet the demand for iron made by the body, which results in iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) when red blood cell production is reduced as a result (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), 2013).
While there may be no signs, even in the event of severe IDA, symptoms include palpitations, fatigue and dyspnoea (NICE, 2013).
The first-line treatment for IDA should be oral iron tablets alongside dietary advice (NICE, 2013), but any serious underlying causes should be excluded (Joint Formulary Committee, 2016). Oral iron is given in the form of iron salts. Table 1 shows the iron content of the iron salts available.


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