Iron in the General Population and Specificities in Older Adults: Metabolism, Causes and Consequences of Decrease or Overload, and Biological Assessment

Figures & data

Table 1 Main Causes of AID

Anatomical Location or Mechanism	Causes
Digestive blood loss	Cancer or benign tumor
	Gastric or duodenal ulcer
	Esophagitis
	Gastritis (various origins)
	Hiatal hernia
	Drugs: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory Anticoagulants Platelet aggregation inhibitors Corticosteroids
	Inflammatory bowel disease
	Celiac disease
	Diverticulosis
	Colon angiodysplasia
	Portal hypertension
Genito-urinary blood loss	Cancer or benign tumor
Traumatic blood loss	Hemorrhagic surgery (total hip prosthesis, etc.)
	Hematoma
Iron absorption reduction	Digestive tract aging
	Drugs: Proton pump inhibitors
	Short bowel syndrome
	Pernicious anemia
Iron intake decrease	Malnutrition
	Vegetarian diet
	Vegan diet
	Chronic alcohol
Blood extraction	Blood donors
Hepcidin elimination abnormality	Severe renal failure

Table 2 Causes of Iron Overload

Anatomical Location or Mechanism		Causes
Hereditary or acquired metabolic disorder		Hemochromatosis (hereditary or secondary)
		Porphyria cutanea tarda
		Metabolic syndrome
Chronic hepatopathies	Hepatitis	Viral
		Auto-immune
	Toxic	Alcoholic
	Steatosis	Alcoholic
		Non-alcoholic
Hematological mechanism		Myelodysplastic syndrome
		Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis
Excessive iron intake	Iterative transfusions	Thalassemia
		Homozygous sickle cell disease
		Sideroblastic anemia
	Iron administration	Dialysis
		High level athletes
Other		Ferroportin mutation
		Hereditary aceruloplasminemia

Figure 1 Laboratory tests recommended in case of suspicion of iron deficiency.