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Crohn's and Anemia?

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 6/20/2011 3:03 PM (GMT 0)
I have been struggling to keep my iron levels up for the past year or so.  This was never a problem until the Crohn's set in.  When the first labs came back showing VERY low iron, my doctor asked me if I was having blood in my stools and I never ever have.  Anyone else out there have Anemia and no blood in the stool?  My primary doc suggested it could be due to menstrual loss, but, without going into detail, I don't think that's it either.  Just a bit confused here.  confused    Wondering if the Crohn's itself can cause low blood iron levels if there's no bleeding.
Posted 6/20/2011 3:06 PM (GMT 0)
Yes yes yes.

There's a double edged sword here with Crohn's and anemia. First, you could be passing blood in your stool without seeing it ("occult blood"). Second, your dysfunctional bowels are not good at absorbing nutrients, so where a normal person can get enough iron from a balanced diet, we probably can't.

I've been low on hemoglobin since I hit menses, but a couple of years ago that went from low to anemic, with zero iron stores. So I took iron supplements orally for a few months. I also upped my Crohn's meds. I've been holding steady at a hemoglobin around 11.5 since then. My ferritin is low but not abnormal. It's definitely something to watch.
Posted 6/20/2011 3:12 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you, Kazbern. When this first happened, my doc had me take an iron supplement for 6 weeks then repeat bloodwork. My levels were back to normal so she told me I could stop. A month or two later when I had more bloodwork, the iron was down again. Guess I'm on the Ferrous Sulfate for good now.
Posted 6/25/2011 6:52 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, I'm new to this forum, and boy, am I glad I found it!! There are people like me after all!!!

I suffer from Occult Blood Loss because of my Chron's. My Consultant's tell me it's pretty common. For almost three years I was having regular (10/12 weekly) blood transfusions of 4 units, as my HB was dropping to the low 6's

Previously, as I had no blood in my stools, both me, and my consultant were at a loss as to where I was losing all this blood. I underwent a Pill CAM test, and it showed that my chron's had flared up, and the internal ulceration and inflammation combined with internal scarring from resections, was seeping blood out. This together with my awful iron absorption capabilities meant that my HB was always dropping. (my ferritin levels remain constant at around 2, which is incredibly low, but apparently manageable!)

I'm told that frequent drops in HB is perfectly normal with Chron's (together with drops in Iron levels and Folic Acid) .. so, as inconvenient as it is, it shouldn't be cause for too much worry?

I can't absorb Iron Supplements in Pill Form, but discovered SPATONE, an Iron Enriched water from The Welsh Mountains in the UK, (I'm unsure if it's only available in the UK?) and this seemed to perk me up a little. But, I assume someone with relatively normal absorbtion capabilities can take supplements? I hear that Pomegranate Juice, and Fresh Mint leaves are natural ways to raise HB also.

I was fortunate enough to be given funding for Humira Injections to suppress the Chron's and since starting them in April last year, my transfusions became less frequent. (My last being in October) However, in the past two months my HB dropped from 9.8 to 6.2... so I'm back in for a transfusion on Monday... I'm unsure if the sudden drop was caused by my increase in stress levels and letting things get to me recently, or, as I've read on some forums, the Humira has simply stopped working... :'(

Any information on Humira would be appreciated, if anyone has been on it over a year, and is having difficulties managing their Chron's, or if you've been on it for a long time, and are having no problems.

Thanks in Advance
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