Hello and welcome to the Zero to Finals podcast. My name is Tom and in this episode I'm going to be

talking to you about iron deficiency anemia in children. And if you want to follow along with

written notes on this topic, you can follow along in the hematology section of the

Zero to Finals website or the Zero the zero to finals pediatrics book.

So let's get straight into it.

The bone marrow requires iron in order to produce the hemoglobin molecule that is contained

within red blood cells.

There are a few scenarios where iron stores can be used up and the patient can become deficient

in iron, resulting in iron deficiency anemia.

This can occur with dietary insufficiency, which is the most common cause in children.

Loss of iron, for example in heavy menstruation in older girls, and inadequate iron absorption,

for example in Crohn's disease.

Let's talk a little bit more about the absorption of iron.

Iron is mainly absorbed in the duodenum and the jejunum.

It requires the acid from the stomach to keep the iron in the soluble ferrous or FE2 plus form.

When there's less acid in the stomach, it changes to the insoluble ferric or FE3 plus form.

Therefore, medications that reduce the stomach acid such as proton pump inhibitors,

like Lanzoprasol and ameprosol, can interfere with iron absorption.

Conditions that result in inflammation of the duodenum or the jejunum, such as celiac disease or Crohn's

disease, can also cause inadequate iron absorption.

Let's talk more about the tests for iron deficiency.

Iron travels around the blood as ferric ions, or FE3 plus ions,

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