Nearly half of all anemia cases are due to iron deficiency as it is the most common nutritional disorder.

[4] Although it is a common nutritional disorder, most causes of iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) are due to blood loss.

[4] It is often fairly mild and sometimes asymptomatic, with potential symptoms including fatigue, headache, paleness, and shortness of breath.

[4][3][8] Diagnosis may involve a review of the morphology of the blood film and bone marrow, reticulocyte count, stool analysis, serum bilirubin and lactate dehydrogenase assay, and assessment of renal function.

[4] Potential inflammatory conditions that can cause ACD are pulmonary tuberculosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and malignancies among many others.

[3] Management of thalassemia involves chronic transfusions that maintain a hemoglobin level that reduces symptoms of anemia as well as suppresses extramedullary hematopoiesis which can lead to multiple morbidities.

In practice, though elliptocytes and anisocytosis are often seen in thalassemia and target cells occasionally in iron deficiency.

Basophilic stippling is one morphologic finding of thalassemia which does not appear in iron deficiency or anemia of chronic disease.

Iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) is treated by addressing the underlying cause, for example gastrointestinal bleeding or inadequate dietary iron intake.

[11] Non-pharmacological measures to treat IDA entail increasing the intake of dietary iron, especially from heme sources such as liver, seafood, and red meats.

Mild cases may be treated with the prescription of a folic acid supplement to help red blood cells develop.

[11] However, if the cause is not addressed and the deficiency becomes chronic, the long-term prognosis is much poorer, especially in older adults and those with comorbidities.

[5] Untreated iron deficiency is associated with cognitive impairment, heart conditions, developmental delay in children, pregnancy complications, depression, and other negative outcomes.