Differential diagnosis
- Malignancy
- Ulcers
- Haemoglobinopathy
- Ulcers
- Menorrhagia
- Diet
Data gathering
- Red flags – chest pain, blood in stools, change in bowel habit, weight loss, blood in urine, bruising, bone pains
- Others – periods, vegan, NSAIDs
- Examine – CVS, abdo, eyes, nails, pulse, BP
Clinical management
- Investigations
- Bloods – FBC, U+Es, LFTs, TFTs, ferritin, B12, folate, blood film, Hb electrophoresis, coeliac
- Explanation
- red blood cells carry oxygen in the body using a substance called haemoglobin. If you don’t have enough red blood cells or enough haemoglobin, you have anaemia.
- Treatment
- Assess cause – menorrhagia, NSAIDs, iron/b12 deficiency, blood loss, haemoglobinopathy
- Increase dietary iron – red meat, green vegetables, pulses
- Ferrous sulphate 200mg BD
- B12 injections
- Refer if:
- Unexplained
- Hb < 7