Identification of women and girls with iron deficiency in the reproductive years

Abstract

Iron deficiency (ID) is the most common micronutrient deficiency in the world. It is of concern for women and girls of reproductive age as, despite frequent normalization, excessive menstrual blood loss and the iron demands associated with pregnancy increase the risk of developing an ID. Iron deficiency reduces health‐related quality of life with symptoms of fatigue, heart palpitations, difficulty concentrating, and poor mental health. When left untreated, ID can escalate to iron deficiency anemia (IDA), where there is an insufficiency of red blood cells, or hemoglobin within these cells, to meet the bodily demands for oxygen transport. Substantial guidance on screening for ID can be found in specific at‐risk groups, including pregnant women and patients with renal, cardiac, and inflammatory bowel disease. However, it was unclear whether guidance is available for women of reproductive age. We performed a literature search to explore the current recommendations for screening women of reproductive age for ID. While four manuscripts supportive of screening were found, no official guidance appears to exist regarding screening for this group. In line with the World Health Organization's 10 Principles of Screening, we present a case for ID screening in women and girls of reproductive age.

Distribution of ABO and rhesus blood grouping with HIV infection among blood donors in Ekiti State Nigeria

“…This is probably because males have higher red cell and platelet counts than females in most cases, [10] while females donate less often, probably because of the physiological demands of pregnancy and menstruation. [11] Our study showed that blood group O had the highest frequency of 1841 donors (78.74%), followed by blood group A with 246 donors (10.52%), blood group B with 231 donors (9.88%) and blood group AB with 20 (0.86%) donors, respectively. This is in agreement with the study by Siransy et al [12] who reported a high frequency of blood donors in Côte d'Ivoire as group O (49.74%), and least as group AB (4.40%), respectively.…”

“…This is probably because males have higher red cell and platelet counts than females in most cases, [10] while females donate less often, probably because of the physiological demands of pregnancy and menstruation. [11]…”

Tranexamic acid for management of heavy vaginal bleeding: barriers to access and myths surrounding its use

“…When iron losses chronically exceed iron intake due to insufficient dietary iron or ineffective absorption, patients invariably develop ID with or without anemia [ 67 ]. This imbalance is magnified for those who experience HMB, as it prolongs the period of iron loss [ 68 , 69 ].…”