Understanding Refractory Anemia: Causes, Diagnosis, and Treatment Options

Anemia: Causes and Symptoms

Anemia is a medical condition that affects millions of Americans. It occurs when your blood lacks enough healthy red blood cells, resulting in low oxygen flow to your cells. This article explores the causes and symptoms of anemia, including iron-refractory iron deficiency anemia.

Iron-refractory Iron Deficiency Anemia

Iron-refractory iron deficiency anemia (IRIDA) is a rare form of anemia that’s unresponsive to regular treatment. It’s a type of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a group of disorders that occur when the bone marrow doesn’t make enough healthy blood cells. This section explains what IRIDA is, its symptoms, and how it’s diagnosed.

Diagnosing IRIDA

Knowing where to start the diagnostic process can be challenging because it’s a rare form of anemia. Most people’s journey to IRIDA diagnosis begins with a visit to a general physician, urgent care center, or emergency room. This section explains how doctors distinguish IRIDA from other common forms of anemia and the diagnostic tools they use.

Treatment and Complications

This section explains how IRIDA is treated and the potential complications associated with the condition. IRIDA is unresponsive to oral iron supplementation but partially responsive to iron injected intravenously (parenteral iron). You will likely make multiple hospital visits for iron injections, as a repeated iron infusion can improve iron stores, red blood cell size, and anemia.

When to Seek Medical Attention

This section outlines when you should talk to your doctor if you have a high risk for anemia or notice one or more signs of the condition. It also highlights the importance of seeking medical advice if you’re a woman considering pregnancy, as iron deficiency anemia can cause adverse outcomes for both the mother and child.

The Lowdown

This section summarizes the key points of the article, including that IRIDA is a rare type of anemia that’s unresponsive to oral iron supplements and partially responsive to intravenous iron. The cause is a genetic mutation of a gene known as TMPRSS6, which is inheritable when both parents have a copy of the mutated gene.