Gynecological endocrinology : the official journal of the International Society of Gynecological Endocrinology
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Iron-deficiency anaemia, the condition in which anaemia occurs due to a lack of iron, develops when the amount of available iron is insufficient to support normal red blood cell production. Iron deficiency and iron-deficiency anaemia, very prevalent conditions in premenopausal women, are often associated with menometrorrhagia (present in more than two-thirds of cases of iron-deficiency anaemia in premenopausal women). Appropriate identification and treatment of iron deficiency is imperative as iron deficiency can induce important specific clinical manifestations (including fatigue, atrophic changes in the epithelium, oral lesions, dysphagia, nail lesions, reduced immune response). ⋯ Based on World Health Organisation recommendations, the most appropriate treatment is with an oral ferrous salt in a prolonged-release tablet form, to provide a dose of elemental iron equivalent to 60 mg per intake, in the range of 60 and 120 mg/day according to the severity of iron-deficiency anaemia. When haemoglobin levels have returned to normal, treatment should continue for about 3 months to fill iron stores. An extended-release formulation of ferrous sulphate with mucoproteose has been shown to be associated with a lower incidence of gastrointestinal adverse effects compared with other ferrous and ferric salts.
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Gynecol. Endocrinol. · Dec 2011
Case ReportsOrnithine transcarbamylase deficiency diagnosed in pregnancy.
Urea cycle enzymes deficiencies are rare metabolic disorders. Ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency is the most common type. The syndrome results from a deficiency of the mitochondrial enzyme OTC which catalyses the conversion of ornithine and carbamoyl phosphate to citrulline. ⋯ The prognosis of OTC deficiency is better for those with an onset after infancy, but morbidity from brain damage does not appear to be linked to the number of episodes of hyperammonemia that have occurred. However, early diagnosis and prompt initiation of ammonia-lowering treatment are essential for survival of these patients. This case presents a patient who was diagnosed with OTC deficiency following mental confusion during pregnancy.