clinical diagnosis of iron deficiency anaemia is done in the
following situations
1) Patient gives H/O 'pica' (Pica is eating of
strange non-nutrient items such as clay(geophagia), ice(pagophagia) ,cornstarch(amylophagia). Pica' is also noticed in pregnancy and some psychiatric disorder.
Associated
with it chronic blood loss from G. I.
tract may be seen.
2) Presence
of Anaemia.
3) Glossitis.
4) Angular
stomatitis, cheilosis.
5) Koilonychia.
6) Dysphagia
(Plummer-Vinson syndrome or Paterson-Kelly syndrome).
7) Mild
splenomegaly, rarely.
Common causes of iron deficiency anaemia are
1) Nutritional
deficiency.
2) Bleeding
peptic ulcer.
3) Bleeding
haemorrhoids.
4) Hookworm
infestation.
5) Malabsorption
syndrome.
6) Menorrhagia.
7) Pregnancy,
lactation.
