A 44-year-old lady with longstanding ulcerative colitis had a flare up of her disease, with abdominal pains and passing blood. She experienced palpitations and breathlessness. Blood tests confirmed a functional iron deficiency, with Hb 112g/L, transferrin saturation 12% and serum ferritin 152 mcg/L. After an infusion of iron, her symptoms resolved within 2 weeks. Due to recurrent flares of her ulcerative colitis she required another iron infusion 8 months later.
