A Dr. Anthony Komaroff, MD, Internal Medicine, answered. The innate immune system is first and best known for a family of white blood cells called phagocytes, which reside very close to the layer of epithelial cells that line much of the body's surface. Dr. Anthony Komaroff, MD, Internal Medicine, answered. The innate immune system is first and best known for a family of white blood cells called phagocytes, which reside very close to the layer of epithelial cells that line much of the body's surface.
The iron content of the body is highly conserved (Bothwell et al 1979). To achieve iron balance, adult men need to absorb about 1 mg/day and adult menstruating women about 1.5 mg/day, although this is highly variable. Towards the end of pregnancy, the absorption of 4-5 mg/day is necessary. Requirements are higher during periods of rapid growth in early childhood and adolescence.
Article Sections. The prevalence of iron deficiency anemia is 2 percent in adult men, 9 to 12 percent in non-Hispanic white women, and nearly 20 percent in black and Mexican-American women. Nine percent of patients older than 65 years with iron deficiency anemia have a gastrointestinal cancer when evaluated.