Recognized by the World Health Organizaiton as the most common nutritional deficiency in the world, with an estimated global prevalence of around 30%, iron deficiency anemia, with its associations with adverse outcomes, poses a significant threat to individual- and population-level health.
Despite its elevated prevalence and knowledge of associations with adverse outcomes, diagnosis and management of iron deficiency anemia remains suboptimal in many settings. In 2020, the American Gastroenterological Association released updated guidelines for the gastrointestinal evaluation of iron deficiency. A 10-page document citing more than 2 dozen reference documents, the guideline provides specific updates in areas including adjunctive tests used in diagnosis, use of bidirectional endoscopy, and more!
Test your knowledge of these updates in the quiz below:
What is the recommended cutoff for ferritin levels when diagnosing iron deficiency anemia?
Reference:
1. Ko CW, Siddique SM, Patel A, et al. AGA Clinical Practice Guidelines on the Gastrointestinal Evaluation of Iron Deficiency Anemia. Gastroenterology. 2020;159(3):1085-1094. doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2020.06.046