"Crohn's And Iron Deficiency Anemia: What's The Link?" - Quinn Phillips
If you have Crohn's disease, you're probably familiar with the fatigue that often accompanies it. Fatigue can result directly from Crohn's, it's corresponding gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, or the psychological toll of managing a chronic condition like Crohn's, and it may negatively affect both your work and personal life. Iron deficiency anemia can have a detrimental effect on the quality of life of people with Crohn's or other forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). While iron deficiency can have a number of potential causes, in people with Crohn's disease, it most commonly occurs as a result of bleeding in the digestive tract. When this happens, people "are usually unaware that they are losing blood," said James Marion, MD, professor of medicine and gastroenterology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and director of education and outreach at the Susan and Leonard Feinstein Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinical Center at The Mount Sinai Hospital. That's because the blood loss can happen gradually over a long period of time, without overt symptoms. In people with Crohn's disease, Dr. Marion said, this blood loss usually occurs because of disease activity. The digestive tract contains lots of blood vessels, he noted, which can rupture when Crohn's-related ulcers and fissures penetrate beneath the inner mucosal layer of the intestines.
- James F. Marion, MD, Professor, Medicine, Gastroenterology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Education and Outreach, Susan and Leonard Feinstein Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinical Center at The Mount Sinai Hospital