An oncologist in Morgantown, West Virginia T here are a number of reasons that a patient may demonstrate iron deficiency, chief of which are blood loss and malabsorption.
Gastrointestinal endoscopy allows the source of the occult bleeding to be identified.
Other occult sites include the pancreaticobiliary tree or small bowel. If endoscopy is negative, computerized tomography may help to define the cause of the occult blood in the stool. Tagged red blood cell nuclear scintigraphy is rarely useful. In summary, iron deficiency anemia can be a sign of gastrointestinal cancer, diverticular disease, gastritis, and a variety of other gastrointestinal lesions, all of which may also exist in the absence of iron deficiency anemia. Inc. All rights reserved.