Long-term follow-up of patients with iron deficiency anemia after a close endoscopic examination of the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract.

Background In patients with Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) occult gastrointestinal bleeding is generally investigated by bidirectional endoscopy. The aim of our study was to examine the long-term follow-up of patients with IDA where the sources of bleeding couldn't be detected despite close endoscopic and radiologic examination of the GI tract. Methods Based on the endoscopic data base we examined consecutive patients who were referred for gastrointestinal endoscopy due to IDA with a negative endoscopic (upper GI endoscopy and colonoscopy) evaluation. Further diagnostic work up (repeated endoscopy of the upper and lower GI tract by an experienced investigator, small bowel enteroclysis, push e…