Can Gastritis Result From An Iron Infusion?

Iron pill-induced gastritis is a rare but serious condition characterized by the corroding of the stomach lining by inorganic iron pills. This can lead to erosions, inflammation, and bleeding. Iron-deficiency anemia, a condition where low iron levels result in a lack of red blood cells to carry oxygen to various parts of the body, can also be caused by gastrointestinal disorders. The histology of gastric ulcers suggests iron-induced gastric mucosal injury, and frequent use of intravenous iron and packed red blood cell transfusions may predispose certain patients to the development of these conditions.

Oral iron supplementation can perpetuate iron deficiency anemia by causing gastric ulceration and upper gastrointestinal bleeding in high-risk patients. Chronic atrophic gastritis is observed in only two out of 10 patients and other patients with low iron levels. Iron pill gastritis is a serious potential complication of iron supplementation, and the proposed mechanism for producing this complication is not well understood.

In patients with iron gastropathy, transitioning to liquid or IV iron should be considered as the use of iron pills can lead to gastric erosions and ulcers. Corpus Atrophic Gastritis (CAG) is characterized by iron malabsorption leading to iron deficiency anemia (IDA), which rarely responds to oral iron.

What are the bad side effects of iron infusion?

Are there any side effects from the iron infusion? Side effects and severe reactions are not common. However, you should be aware of what they are. flushing • back pain • rash • feeling sick (nausea) • headache • dizziness • changes in taste (for example, a metallic taste) • changes in blood pressure or pulse.

Can iron overload cause gastritis?

The gold standard would be that the use of oral iron for the treatment of anemia should be avoided as it is unlikely to improve anemia and may exacerbate colonic inflammation increasing the risk of colorectal cancer in patients affected by chronic inflammatory bowel diseases. Also in gastric mucosa the iron has been detected in the interstitial space or in the macrophages but not in the cytoplasm of the epithelial gastric cells suggesting that it could be a factor inducing gastritis with the same mechanism hypothesized for colonic mucosa and could synergistically activate gastric interleukins promoting tumorigenesis. In contrast, other studies have demonstrated that a liquid form of iron supplement is less damaging for the gastric mucosa than solid forms. In fact the liquid form of iron does not concentrate within gastrointestinal mucosa: animal experiments demonstrated the absence of signs of mucosal damage even if lethal ferrous serum level was detected ( 9 – 10 ).

Conclusions. In consideration of histological aspects observed in our patients we believe that it is important to document these lesions in pathology reports to give a valid feedback to the clinicians in order to apply a correct follow-up and a better therapy, since liquid iron has been suggested as a valid and promising alternative to the current treatment. Finally, we hypothesize that iron intake in iron-induced gastric inflammation could play a potential tumorigenic role but further studies and reports will be necessary to validate these speculative hypotheses.

Acknowledgments. Authors’ note: A part of the present article has been presented as an abstract at the SIAPEC-IAP Italian Congress of Pathology, 2014, Florence, Italy.

Can iron infusion cause stomach ulcer?

Iron deficiency is the most common cause of anemia worldwide, and is often managed with various methods of iron supplementation. However, oral iron supplementation can perpetuate iron deficiency anemia by causing gastric ulceration and upper gastrointestinal bleeding in high-risk populations. This complication has not been previously described with intravenous iron supplementation. A case of a 63-year-old male with severe iron deficiency anemia, who presented with melena over several months, was presented. Upper endoscopy revealed a clean-based gastric body ulcer and nonbleeding gastric varices, suggesting iron-induced gastric mucosal injury. This case demonstrates that frequent utilization of intravenous iron and packed red blood cell transfusions may predispose certain patients to the development of iron-induced gastritis and ulceration. Iron-induced gastritis is a rare condition that is scarcely reported in the literature. Oral iron supplementation is the most conventional treatment modality for iron deficiency anemia, with intravenous iron and packed red blood cell transfusions reserved for specific circumstances such as oral iron intolerance, history of gastric surgery, chronic blood loss anemia, malabsorptive syndromes, and severe deficiency/anemia.

Can iron infusions cause stomach problems?

Gastrointestinal pains, including nausea, cramps or diarrhea. Problems with breathing. Constipation (difficulty pooping). Headache.

What is an iron infusion?. An iron infusion is a way to receive iron through a small catheter in your vein. Intravenous (IV) iron supplementation is another name for this. A healthcare provider performs this procedure in a medical office or clinic.

If you don’t have enough iron, your body can’t make hemoglobin. This protein helps blood carry oxygen throughout your body. With this issue, you may develop anemia. This is known as iron-deficiency anemia, the most common type of anemia.

Factors that can lower your body’s supply of iron include:

Does IV iron cause GI side effects?

Intravenous iron does not cause GI side effects, which may be due to the lack of exposure to the intestinal lumen. Luminal iron can cause changes to the gut microbiota, aiding the promotion of pathogenic species and decreasing beneficial protective species.

Faculty of Health, Education, Medicine and Social Care, Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford CM1 1SQ, UK.

Submission received: 12 May 2021 / Revised: 3 June 2021 / Accepted: 8 June 2021 / Published: 12 June 2021.

Can an iron infusion cause acid reflux?

Other side effects (less than 1:100) include mild allergic reaction, numbness in the arm, racing heartbeat, low blood pressure, shortness of breath, vomiting, heartburn, stomach pain, constipation, diarrhoea, itchiness, hives, back pain, chest pain, high temperature and rash.

What is involved?. Prior to your infusion you will require a consultation with a doctor at Albert Street Medical to assess the potential causes of your iron deficiency. You may be required to have further blood tests following your consultation.

If your regular General Practitioner is referring you for an iron infusion, It is important that you attend with a detailed referral from your GP outlining the reason for your iron deficiency and your relevant past medical history – this includes any recent blood tests, endoscopy results and a list of your current medications, allergies and past surgeries.

You will be provided with a prescription for your iron infusion. This prescription can be filled at any pharmacy and will cost around $6 for concession card holders and $40 for others.

Does iron cause gastritis?

Oral iron supplements are commonly used to treat patients with iron deficiency anemia, but in rare cases, they can lead to more severe symptoms, known as “iron pill gastritis”. This condition is diagnosed when a patient receiving iron supplementation develops erosive gastritis with iron deposition on histopathology. Iron-induced mucosal injury is most common in the elderly, with only a few reported instances in young patients.

A 43-year-old woman with iron deficiency anemia and unmanaged gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) presented with melena and coffee-ground emesis. After her acute symptoms were resolved, she was administered oral iron supplementation with plans to follow-up in the outpatient setting. However, she rapidly developed upper GI bleeding and a severe, Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)-negative gastritis with iron deposits on histology. This case serves as an important reminder that any patient receiving oral iron supplementation is at a risk for gastritis. It is essential to provide continued follow-up for patients receiving iron supplementation independent of age or comorbidity.

The patient presented to the emergency department complaining of intermittent melena and coffee-ground emesis for the past two weeks, as well as an unintentional 25-pound weight loss in recent months. She had been diagnosed with severe GERD approximately 18 months earlier, though she was not taking any medication. Physical examination was unremarkable, and lab work was significant only for normocytic anemia with hemoglobin of 10. 1 g/dl. Fetal occult blood testing was negative, LDH was within normal limits, and blood urea nitrogen to creatinine ratio was unremarkable at 14:1.

After her acute symptoms had resolved, the patient was started on oral ferrous sulfate of 325 mg BID and scheduled for a non-emergent endoscopy due to the likelihood of a potential GI bleed. An urgent esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) revealed atrophic gastritis with nodular and thickened mucosa, multiple non-bleeding ulcerations in the gastric body, antrum, and prepyloric regions. Biopsies showed inflammation with pits of brown pigment consistent with iron gastropathy. Based on these observations and recent criteria regarding histologic subtypes for drug-induced GI lesions, the patient was diagnosed with an ischemic-type iron pill gastritis and oral ferrous sulfate was discontinued immediately.

Can too much iron cause stomach issues?

Iron is best absorbed on an empty stomach. Yet, iron supplements can cause stomach cramps, nausea, and diarrhea in some people. You may need to take iron with a small amount of food to avoid this problem.

Milk, calcium and antacids should not be taken at the same time as iron supplements. You should wait at least 2 hours after having these foods before taking your iron supplements.

Foods that you should not eat at the same time as you take your iron include:

• High fiber foods, such as whole grains, raw vegetables, and bran
• Foods or drinks with caffeine

Does iron cause stomach acid?

Iron supplements can potentially aggravate GERD symptoms in some individuals.

Iron can be irritating to the gastrointestinal tract, and certain forms of iron supplements, such as ferrous sulfate, may cause gastrointestinal side effects like heartburn, stomach pain, and acid reflux.

GERD and anemia are distinct but interconnected conditions. GERD, characterized by chronic acid reflux, can lead to erosions in the esophagus and chronic blood loss, resulting in anemia.

Early identification and management of both conditions are important for better outcomes. If you think you have GERD or anemia — or both — consider reaching out to a healthcare professional to get a comprehensive evaluation.

Why are doctors reluctant to give iron infusions?

Iron deficiency is a major public health goal, but many clinicians are still reluctant to use IV iron due to concerns about anaphylaxis. However, true life-threatening allergic reactions are rare and overestimated. There are several non-evidence-based misconceptions regarding the diagnosis and management of iron deficiency, including inconsistency of terminology and lack of clear guidance on clinical pathways. The pathogenesis of iron deficiency is often not addressed, and iron is not replaced, with indiscriminate red cell transfusion used as a default therapy.

The authors aim to provide a consensus that effectively challenges these misconceptions and highlight evidence-based alternatives for appropriate management. This approach may be beneficial for both patients and healthcare systems. The World Health Organization (WHO) criteria for defining anaemia revealed a significant reduction in global anaemia prevalence from 40. 2 in 1990 to 32. 9 in 2010, with wide variations across regions. Iron deficiency remains the most common cause of anaemia worldwide, accounting for about one half of all cases. Other common causes include infestations, congenital anaemias, and anemia associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD).