Importance of sideropenic anemia in the diagnosis of gastrointestinal tract tumors.
BACKGROUND
Sideropenic anemia is a hypochromic, microcytic anemia caused by insufficient iron level in the body. This is the most common anemia. In a large percentage it is the symptom of gastrointestinal tract cancer. Anemia was defined by hemoglobin level <119 g/dl, hematocrit <0.356 for women or hemoglobin level <138 g/dL and hematocrit <0415 for men. Gastric cancer after lung cancer is the second most common malignant tumor in the world. Frequent localization is the antrum, and less frequently in the cardia and fundus. Definite factors in the development of gastric cancer are chronic atrophic gastritis, H. pylori, intestinal metaplasia, and epithelial dysplasia as a precancerous lesion. Strong link between sideropenic anemia and gastrointestinal tract cancers recommend that patients with sideropenic anemia without a clear indication underwent same gastroscopic and colonoscopy examination. The goals were to prove sideropenic anemia, diagnose and histologically confirm tumors, tumors location and correlates anemia with tumor anemia or show the dependence of anemia on tumor.


RESULTS
The study included 100 subjects (50 from counseling center for hematology that came due to sideropenic anemia and 50 patients from the Clinic for Gastroenterology who had gastrointestinal tract cancer). Respondents had regular laboratory tests and endoscopic examinations, ultrasound of the abdomen, CT of the abdomen and tumor markers. In the group of patients from Counseling center for hematology with sideropenic anemia was found 11 cancerous processes, mostly in form of gastric and colon cancer. In the group of patients hospitalized at the Clinic for Gastroenterology most cancer process were localized in the stomach and colorectum.


CONCLUSIONS
Tumors of the gastrointestinal tract are the most common cause of sideropenic anemia, due to which the patients often first contact Counseling center for hematology. Sideropenic anemia is more common in men as also the number of digestive tract cancers in men. Sideropenic anemia has a significant place in the diagnosis of gastrointestinal tract tumors. Sideropenic anemia is most common in men after 50 years of age. The most common tumors of the gastrointestinal tube were gastric and colon cancer.
Clinic for hematology, Clinical center of University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Sanela
S
Sahovic
Zora
Z
Vukobrat-Bijedic
Vahidin
V
Sahovic
gastrointestinal tract cancers.; sideropenic anemia