Moderate Iron Deficiency Anemia in the Treatment of Metabolic Syndrome

Background: Body mass index (BMI), weight, and height may be due to various hereditary and environmental factors. Material and methods: Age and sex-matched cases with a hematocrit value of less than 30% were collected into the first, less than 36% into the second, less than 40% into the third, and 40% or greater into the fourth groups of patients. Results: The study included 108 anemia patients (101 females) with a mean age of 34.7 years (range 15-68). The anemia cases were mainly iron deficiency anemia and/or thalassemia minors. When we compared the first group with the second, the BMI and weight were significantly retarded in the first group (23.6 versus 26.9 kg/m2, p= 0.005 and 61.3 versus 69.9 kg, p= 0.008), whereas there were nonsignificant differences between the second, third, and fourth groups for both (p>0.05 for all). Although there was significantly retarded BMI and weight in the first group, body heights were similar in the four groups (p>0.05 for all). Conclusion: Although the BMI and weight can be affected by moderate anemia, the height may strongly be determined by heredity. Since the excess weight may be a significant underlying cause of the metabolic syndrome, and the metabolic syndrome shortens human lifespan significantly, and there is no case with shortened survival due to iron deficiency anemia and/or thalassemia minors, an iatrogenic and moderate iron deficiency anemia with frequent blood donation may prolong human survival by decreasing the BMI and weight in the overweight and obese individuals.