Clinical Quiz: Gastrointestinal Evaluation of Iron Deficiency Anemia

Iron deficiency anemia is recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the most common nutritional deficiency, with an estimated global prevalence of approximately 30%. Associated with adverse outcomes, iron deficiency anemia may represent a notable threat to individual- and population-level health.

The American Gastrointestiological Association (AGA) released updated guidelines in 2020 for the gastrointestinal evaluation of iron deficiency. Citing more than 2 dozen reference documents, the 10-page document provides specific recommendations, including the cutoff of ferritin levels in diagnosis, bidirectional endoscopy, and differences in anemia diagnosis by sex.

Despite the knowledge of its prevalence, management of iron deficiency anemia remains suboptimal, with some studies suggest just 1 in 5 patients living with anemia receive treatment.

In this clinical quiz, our third on the document, test your knowledge of the recommendations for gastrointestinal evaluation of IDA based on the AGA 2020 guidelines.

Editor’s note: This is the third clinical quiz on the AGA’s Gastrointestinal Evaluation of Iron Deficiency Anemia 2020 guidelines. Check out the first and second quiz.

References

_{Ko CW, Siddique SM, Patel A, et al. AGA Clinical Practice Guidelines on the Gastrointestinal Evaluation of Iron Deficiency Anemia. Gastroenterology. 2020;159(3):1085-1094. doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2020.06.046}

_{Xu Y, Evans M, Mazhar F, et al. Poor recognition and undertreatment of anemia in patients with chronic kidney disease managed in primary care. J Intern Med. 2023;294(5):628-639. doi:10.1111/joim.13702}