Iron Deficiency in Adults
Absolute iron deficiency affects approximately 2 billion people worldwide.
Symptoms of iron deficiency include, fatigue, exercise intolerance, and difficulty concentrating.
Iron deficiency is diagnosed by low serum ferritin (typically <30 ng/mL) and in individuals without inflammatory conditions by transferrin saturation.
Oral iron is first-line therapy for most patients. Intravenous iron is used for individuals who do not tolerate or have impaired absorption of oral iron, those with ongoing blood loss, certain chronic inflammatory conditions, and during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy.
This narrative review examines the screening, diagnosis, and treatment of adults with absolute iron deficiency without anemia and iron-deficiency anemia.
