ABSTRACT
Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA; A) causes a hypochromic (pallor of the red blood cells on blood film due to reduced Hb synthesis), microcytic (small size) anaemia (low haemoglobin). A reduction in serum iron can be caused by a number of factors, including inadequate intake, malabsorption (coeliac disease; most likely cause in this case given diarrhoea and abdominal pain), increased demand (pregnancy) and increased losses (bleeding and parasitic infections). Further studies are required to distinguish IDA from other causes of microcytic anaemia: serum ferritin will be low, while total iron binding capacity (TIBC) and transferrin will be high.
