Evaluating and treating active patients for anemia

Anemia affects many active patients, from young female recreational athletes to elite male competitors. The treatment may simply be iron supplementation, but the causes of iron-deficiency anemia are many, including poor nutrition, exercise-induced hemoglobinuria or hematuria, gastritis, hemorrhoids, peptic ulcer disease, angiodysplasia, and adenocarcinoma. Therefore, physicians need to do a thorough evaluation that includes a medical history, family medical history, drug history, physical exam, and referral to a gastroenterologist if necessary.