title: Evaluation of iron deficiency anaemia for gastrointestinal causes in patients without GI symptoms in high prevalent GI malignancy zones.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Gastric cancer is highly prevalent in Kashmir, as are lower gastrointestinal (LGI) malignancies. Colonic cancer, gastric cancer, and coeliac disease are the most important gastrointestinal (GI) causes of iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) worldwide. Approximately 9% of patients with IDA present with a suspicious lesion in the GI tract upon examination. However, the absence of GI symptoms and a possible lesion accounting for blood loss in IDA have not been studied in this zone with a high prevalence of GI malignancy. We aimed to examine IDA patients without GI symptoms to determine the most plausible cause of their blood loss.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 100 patients with IDA and 250 control subjects without IDA and referred for gastrointestinal endoscopy were enrolled in a cross-sectional, comparative study. Patients presenting with a significant lesion proportionate to their anaemia in the upper GI tract were not examined further, if no further strong indications were present.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-nine patients (29%) were found to have malignancy: 13 with gastric cancer and 16 with colonic malignancies. Other apparent causes of GI blood loss included peptic ulcer disease in 10 (10%) patients, haemorrhoids in 22 (25%), polyps in eight (three in the upper GI tract and five in the LGI tract), gastric erosions in eight (8%), and angiodysplasia, diverticulitis, and trichuriasis in two (2%) each.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In light of the high incidence of GI malignancies in this patient group, a low threshold for GI screening as well as mass screening for IDA is needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, GMC, Srinagar, J&K, India. Electronic address: drskadla@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Showkat A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Kadla
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Gastroenterology, GMC, Srinagar, J&K, India. Electronic address: nisarshah19@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Nisar A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Gastroenterology, GMC, Srinagar, J&K, India. Electronic address: bindromuzafar@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Muzafar A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Bindroo
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, GMC, Srinagar, J&K, India. Electronic address: gastrobilal@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Bilal A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, GMC, Srinagar, J&K, India.
authors.forename: Adil
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Farooq
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, GMC, Srinagar, J&K, India.
authors.forename: Wajeed
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yousf
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, GMC, Srinagar, J&K, India.
authors.forename: Bilal A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Wani
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000209:etiology*; D016888:Angiodysplasia / Q000150:complications; D058070:Asymptomatic Diseases; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004238:Diverticulitis / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D006484:Hemorrhoids / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007417:Intestinal Polyps / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010438:Peptic Ulcer Hemorrhage / Q000150:complications*; D015995:Prevalence; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014257:Trichuriasis / Q000150:complications; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cancer colon; Cancer stomach; Gastrointestinal malignancy; Iron deficiency anaemia; Prevalence