Prevention and treatment of anemia in reproductive-aged women with gynecological diseases

The paper is devoted to a detailed description of the problems of anemia and iron deficiency (ID) in Russia and worldwide; it outlines the epidemiology of these conditions, gives the definitions of anemia and ID, and depicts disease stages. The clinical presentations and impact of anemia on the lives of reproductive-aged women are described in detail. Much attention is paid to the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of ID-associated anemia; various iron deficiency syndromes encountered in gynecology are depicted extensively. The description of a survey of 132 patients with various benign gynecological diseases presents the authors’ own data from a study of the frequency, characteristics, and pathogenesis of anemia in gynecological diseases. It is concluded that pathological blood loss is only one of the factors for anemia. Particular emphasis is placed on the study of hepcidin and the adequacy of production of endogenous erythropoietin, which has led to the conclusion that anemias are mixed in this category of patients and have signs of both iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and anemia of chronic disease. The recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Russian Federation are given to prevent and treat anemia and ID. The authors describe the good effect of oral iron preparations in treating anemia in gynecological diseases, but emphasize that uterine fibroids are a factor that worsens a treatment response. The paper discusses the tolerability of oral iron therapy and recommendations for the most effective and safe treatment of IDA. © 2020, Bionika Media Ltd. All rights reserved.