[Basic principles and clinical significance of iron deficiency]

Iron deficiency is the most common cause of anemia, and the most common cause of iron deficiency is bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract, or gynecological bleeding in the case of women. More rarely it may be due to an increased need for, or a reduction in the uptake of, iron. In addition to the usual clinical symptoms of anemia, there may also be symptoms affecting the skin, mucosae, and appendages of the skin. For the establishment of the diagnosis, the various causes of hypochromic, microcytic anemia must be differentiated, and the underlying cause of the iron deficiency clarified. With respect to treatment, the underlying disease is of primary importance. In the absence of absorption disorders or intolerability, oral replacement of iron in a suitable form is the substitution treatment of choice.