While there are a lot of opinions out there on how to replace iron, which is the best method and

routes and brand and product, in the multiple sources I have reviewed, there seems to be a near

universal opinion that replacing iron in iron deficiency anemia is something we should always do.

Now, like everything in medicine, there is always a few exceptions.

And there was an interesting article in the January 28, 2006, Lancet.

And where they did is they looked at anemia caused by iron deficiency in

Eastern Africa. And this study was in young children, school-aged children, really preschool

children, five and younger. So I'm not saying this applies to adults, though. I'm not saying

it doesn't either. And what they found

was rather interesting when they were giving iron and they were also giving folic acid, it actually

increased the risk of severe illness and death. And the theory and probably the correct theory is that

when you are giving iron in an area that is highly endemic with malaria, as well as other infections.

Often when you have malaria like plasmodium, falciperum, there are other infections around as well.

There may actually be protective effects of iron deficiency, meaning the plasmodium may have less efficiency in infecting iron deficient urethrocytes.

And when they ended up giving the iron, that efficiency improved and therefore looked like

it increased mortality and morbidity and they had to stop this trial early in these

children.

So my point being is that while almost everybody

feels that replacing iron is important when iron deficiency anemia is present, we don't know everything

in 2016. Our knowledge is always evolving in medicine and there is definitely more story to be

ridden with iron deficiency anemia treatment. And one of those areas that seems really interesting,

at least to me, is looking at the interaction of iron with the intestinal host

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