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Iron Deficiency Anemia and Celiac Disease

helleb0re

By helleb0re
in Related Issues & Disorders

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helleb0re Newbie
helleb0re
Posted

I have had celiac disease for 14 years.  I am religious about no gluten.  I have been 100% gluten free the entire time.  The only occasions I have had gluten were through accidental ingestion.  In 2019 I was experiencing vertigo like symptoms that at times were debilitating.  I had been a vegan for two years prior to this happening.  I had lab results for CBC, CMP, Iron/TIBC/Ferritin panels done.  I had a ferritin=9 with all other results normal.  I started taking non heme iron supplements.  After 3 month and 6 month blood draws my ferritin had come up to 26.  So then I had my labs drawn again yesterday showing my ferritin=12, MCH=27.2, MCHC=31.4.  I attribute these results to having trialed oats for the past four months.  I had no symptoms of typical gluten ingestion, no nausea, diarrhea, or abdominal pain.  But I noticed that my hair was starting to thin out and come out in clumps like a was severely anemic.  

 

The first time I had my blood tested I had a low ferritin I assume because as a person with celiac disease and a vegan I wasn't getting enough iron in my diet.  I began supplementing and changed to a meat diet.  My ferritin was improving and then adding oats to my diet triggered my celiac disease causing my duodenum to lose it's ability to absorb iron and my ferritin plummeted.  That all makes sense to me.  But why did my MCH and MCHC drop this time along with the ferritin but not when I had my blood work done previously?  I understand that iron deficiency anemia generally will cause a drop in the MCH and MCHC because they are all connected.  But they were fine when my ferritin=9 back in 2019.  Why did they drop this time but not the last?

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trents Grand Master
trents
Posted

Welcome to the forum, helebOre!

The CBC counts you provide are difficult to evaluate without including reference ranges used by the lab. We can't tell whether they are out of range.

helleb0re Newbie
helleb0re
Posted
  • Author
1 minute ago, trents said:

Welcome to the forum, helebOre!

The CBC counts you provide are difficult to evaluate without including reference ranges used by the lab. We can't tell whether they are out of range.

Reference range for Ferritin 16-232ng/ml, MCH 27.0-33.0pg, MCHC 32.0-36.0g/dl

trents Grand Master
trents
Posted

Have you considered pernicious anemia?

helleb0re Newbie
helleb0re
Posted
  • Author
41 minutes ago, trents said:

Have you considered pernicious anemia?

I have considered it.  In my first round of tests I had a B12 test done.  I started taking a B12 supplement daily prior to having the first lab results.  They showed high so I cut back to every other day and I've stuck with that ever since.  I didn't have my b12 checked this time but I assume with the trend from previously that it's good.  I should have it checked anyway though.  Thank you for that.  

trents Grand Master
trents
Posted

Really no danger in high, everyday doses of B12 or any of the B's. They're water soluble and any excess is peed out. The only exception to that I know of would be the benfotiamine version of thiamine which is a fat-soluble form of that B vitamin. 

helleb0re Newbie
helleb0re
Posted
  • Author
1 minute ago, trents said:

Really no danger in high, everyday doses of B12 or any of the B's. They're water soluble and any excess is peed out. The only exception to that I know of would be the benfotiamine version of thiamine which is a fat-soluble form of that B vitamin. 

I agree B12 being no danger.  My concern at the moment is why did my MCH and MCHC drop so low with my ferritin this time but didn't drop at all at the time of my first test when the ferritin was even lower?

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