Depending on the exact cause of iron deficiency anemia, surgery may need to be performed.
Therapy for chronic intestinal bleeding is based on four pillars:
- Drug therapy (e.g., proton pump inhibitors (PPI)/acid blockers, intravenous iron replacement/optionally also blood transfusions, specific therapy in e.g., ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease).
- Endoscopic (e.g., subcutaneous injection, coagulation, clip (e.g., titanium (wire) clip for blood vessel clamping), resection/surgical removal of organ parts or organs)
- Radiological (embolization (artificial occlusion of blood vessels by administration of e.g. plastic beads) only for the most severe bleeding) and
- Surgical (especially for gastric and colon carcinoma/colon cancer).