Medical Nutrition Matters Winter 2020 Volume 39 No. 3 - Literature Review on Iron Therapy in Chronic Inflammatory Conditions

This product is free for DMNT members.

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is the most prevalent fatal genetic disorder, impacting the lives of over 30,000 people in the United States and 70,000 worldwide. In addition to progressive pulmonary disease, another hallmark of the disease is pancreatic insufficiency, which leads to malabsorption of both macronutrients and micronutrients. Among these, lipids and liposoluble vitamins are most emphasized and closely managed by CF care teams. Additional nutrients of concern include zinc, calcium, and iron, of which iron is particularly poorly understood in CF. Iron is necessary for several biological processes, most notably erythropoiesis, and iron deficiency anemia can lead to weakness, fatigue, poor energy levels, difficulty concentrating, and increased susceptibility to infections. Even in the absence of anemia, iron deficiency is known to cause symptoms, such as fatigue, and benefits from treatment. To help learn about the treatment of iron-deficiency anemia in the CF population, this literature review discusses other chronic inflammatory diseases and begins to study best practices for iron-deficiency anemia treatment in the CF population.

CPEU: 1.0
CPE Level: 2
Learning Need Codes: 3020, 2050, 2090, 3100
Performance Indicators: 10.4.1, 12.1.3

Learning Objectives

1. Describe the impact of hepcidin on iron metabolism
2. Explain the current state of evidence for iron therapy in cystic fibrosis
3. Discuss the efficacy and safety of using oral and intravenous iron in chronic inflammatory bowel disease and lung diseases

Publish 2020
PDF