Brief Answer:
Bleeding from gut is cause of iron deficiency, supplements required.

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

Thanks for positing your query on HealthcareMagic.
Bleeding from the gut explains the iron deficiency anemia.
Bleeding from any part of body leads to loss of iron and thus iron deficiency.
The cause for such bleeding needs to be determined since the loss of iron will continue till the bleeding continues.
Iron deficiency can be corrected by iron supplements but removal of underlying cause is necessary for definitive treatment.
Other causes of iron deficiency are decreased iron intake, increased requirement of iron and increased loss of iron from body as in case of blood loss.
Folic acid deficiency can result from decreased intake in diet.
Vitamin D is formed in skin after exposure to sunlight.
Less exposure to sunlight leads to vitamin D deficiency.
Folic acid and vitamin D deficiencies need to corrected by folic acid and vitamin D supplements.

Thanks and take care
Dr Shailja Puri

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Brief Answer:
Bleeding from gut is most likely cause of iron deficiency.

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome again,
As I have previously mentioned that iron deficiency can develop due to low iron intake, increased iron demand and increased iron loss from body.
Chronic bleeding from any site in body results in iron loss.
This is most likely cause of iron deficiency, however, other causes like low iron intake and increased requirement can also contribute to iron deficiency.
Iron deficiency is characterised by pallor, tiredness, fatigue, lack of concentration, irritability, lack of concentration to name a few symptoms.
management consists of iron supplements and treatment of bleeding site in gut.

Thanks and take care
Dr Shailja Puri

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Brief Answer:
Ulcers, polyps, growths etc are possible cause of bleeding from gut.

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome again,
The exact site of bleeding in gut is not mentioned.
Bleeding in different parts of gut have different causes and different etiology.
Bleeding from stomach can be due to ulcer.
Bleeding from intestines can be due to ulcer, polyp, growth, diseases like crohns disease, ulcerative colitis etc.
The site of bleeding is important to determine the possible cause of bleeding.

Thanks and take care
Dr Shailja Puri

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Brief Answer:
Deficiency indicate lack of iron, folic acid and vitamin D in body.

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome again dear,

Deficiency of iron can be due to low iron intake, increased demand or iron loss from body.
Low iron intake can result from lack of iron rich foods in diet.
Increased demand of iron arises in conditions like pregnancy, lactation and menstruation in females.
Iron loss from occurs due to any chronic bleeding from body.
Vitamin D deficiency can result from lack of exposure to sunlight. Vitamin D is synthesized under skin after exposure to sunlight.
Folic acid is due to low folic acid in diet.

Accordingly at this age, I would probably attribute to dietary deficiency and in adequate sun exposure as the other cause of those nutrient deficiency. But it is important to rule out bleeding source to make sure we do not miss out something else.

I will urge you to get the scopes done. If it doesn't reveal anything (which I pray for), then perhaps the cause is nutritional.

Hope this answers your question.

Take care
Dr Shailja Puri

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