Iron deficiency in chronic inflammatory bowel diseases: an update

Abstract

: Iron deficiency (ID) is the most frequent nutritional deficiency worldwide, with more than 1.2 billion affected individuals with anemia and probably more than double without anemia. ID can be either absolute by a relative insufficiency of intakes, loss excess, or functional, mainly due to inflammation. Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) include Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and unclassified inflammatory bowel disease, which share a common trait chronic inflammation of the digestive tract wall. These diseases are increasing worldwide over the years. The ID is relatively frequent in IBD (up to 76% of patients in some studieg, ID is underdiagnosed and undertre in this settingated, generally when the deficiency is not associated with anemia, which is the cardinal symptom of this extra digestive complication. Indeed, the current use of ferritin assay, which is abnormally high those diseases, de to inflammation, is probably the main reason offorhis undunderdiagnoseshe adjunction of the calculation of transferrin saturation and the exploration of other nutritional deficiencies are recommended the diagnosis and in the follow up of the diseases, notably to help treating the intense asthenia that patients often report. Herein, we aimed to present an overview of ID prevalence, physiopathology, diagnosis, and treatment considerations in IBD patients.