The causes are

• Dietary iron deficiency 

• Blood losses such as

  • Peptic ulcer  disease.

  • malignancy.

  • menstrual bleeding

  • chronic hemoptysis

  • parasitism by hookworms

• Other causes include 

  • Previous gastric or small bowel surgery without adequate iron supplementation.  

  • pregnancy

  • lactation 

• malabsorption syndrome such as celiac disease    

The related signs are

• Skin or conjunctival pallor, 

• cheilosis, 

• glossitis; 

• brittle, ridged, or spoon nails, 

• tachycardia, 

• esophageal web (Plummer-Vinson syndrome) on upper GI endoscopy and

• splenomegaly.

The drugs used are 

• Iron supplementation - oral or parenteral

• Multivitamins.

Prognosis is usually good after regular follow-up of medication

Regular intake of iron-rich foods e.g. apples and consumption of a balanced diet will prove beneficial in preventing anemia.