Regular reviews and monitoring can improve compliance

Iron deficiency should be considered within a spectrum of deficiency and anaemia, says Dr Pradeep Jayasuriya, a specialist General Practitioner who has recently set up a community-based iron infusion facility and does research in the area.

It’s important to conceptualise it, he says, not just in terms of an absolute deficiency and the impact this has on haemoglobin levels but in terms of the impact this has on basic mitochondrial activity linked to energy production. This helps to understand the varied effects and symptoms iron deficiency produces including low moods, sleep disturbances and cognitive impairment he says.

Oral supplementation continues to be an important aspect of management, but it isn’t as simple as just prescribing the tablets to be taken once daily orally, says Dr Pradeep Jayasuriya.