You are a third-year emergency room (ER) resident tending to a 48-year-old woman who has come to the ER complaining of increasing fatigue and mild shortness of breath. Blood work reveals a hypochromic anemia with a hemoglobin of 10.4 g/dL, MCV of 76 m/m³, MCHC of 29 g/dL, and a decrease in the absolute reticulocyte count. WBC and platelet counts are within normal limits. Serum iron and ferritin levels are low and total iron-binding capacity is elevated. Which of the following conditions best accounts for these findings?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The lab findings are consistent with iron deficiency anemia, characterized by low hemoglobin, low MCV (microcytic anemia), low serum iron and ferritin, and elevated total iron-binding capacity.

You Are a Third-Year Emergency Room (ER) Resident Tending to a 48-Year-Old