This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.

New website aims to raise awareness of iron deficiency anemia in Crohn’s disease

Add topic to email alerts

Receive an email when new articles are posted on

Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on .

Subscribe

Added to email alerts

You've successfully added to your alerts. You will receive an email when new content is published.

Click Here to Manage Email Alerts

You've successfully added to your alerts. You will receive an email when new content is published.

Click Here to Manage Email Alerts

Back to Healio

We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact customerservice@slackinc.com.

Back to Healio

The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation has partnered with pharmaceutical company Daiichi Sankyo to launch a new website aimed at raising awareness of iron deficiency anemia in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases.

The site — GetIronInformed.com — gives patients access to information, educational resources and videos about iron deficiency anemia (IDA). The foundation wants patients to understand the importance of monitoring their iron levels.

“So many IBD patients are living with IDA without even knowing it. And for those who do know, there are limited tools and resources for them to find out more about their disease,” Michael Osso, president and CEO of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation said in a press release.

Patients with IBD are especially susceptible to IDA — which occurs when iron levels are not high enough to produce healthy red blood cells — because they can have tears in their digestive tract that can lead to iron loss. An estimated 36% to 76% of patients with IBD are affected by IDA, according to the press release.

Patients with mild to moderate IDA often have no signs or symptoms, but symptoms can worsen over time to include fatigue, shortness of breath and chest pain.

Because it is impossible to diagnose IDA through signs and symptoms alone, the founders of Get Iron Informed said patients with IBD need to be able to speak openly with their doctors and described the website as a tool that will help facilitate that relationship.

“Our goal is to provide people living with IBD access to information about IDA,” Linda Mundy, MD, chief medical officer at Luitpold Pharmaceuticals, part of the Daiichi Sankyo group said in the press release. “Through our partnership with the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, we are proud to develop new content that reinforces our commitment to enhancements in patients-physician dialogue.”

Disclosures: Osso is employed by the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. Mundy is employed by Luitpold Pharmaceuticals.