A 45-year-old woman was reported to a primary care center with severe iron deficiency anemia attributed to menorrhagia in 2019. She had been suffering from persistent joint pain since 2016, which was suggestive of rheumatoid arthritis (EULAR score = 5). Initial diagnosis : Oligoarticular arthritis positive for antiparietal cell antibodies Treatment : Hydroxychloroquine and steroids during periods of intense pain Numerous attempts at improving her iron deficiency with oral formulations proved ineffective. Oral iron test carried out in June 2021 revealed poor absorption of iron (Serum iron levels – 21-47 μg/dL).
This was initially believed to be due to autoimmune gastritis, but a diagnostic celiac test returned negative results. IV iron therapy was initiated in July 2021 (125 mg ferric gluconate in 250 ml of saline administered over one hour). The patient developed mild arthralgia in…
