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Problem solving in clinical practice
Iron-deficiency anaemia: the perils of excessive milk-drinking
  1. Joseph Machta1,
  2. Sara Trompeter2,3,
  3. Adam Kenji Yamamoto4,
  4. Sarah Eisen5
  1. 1 Department of Paediatrics, Barnet Hospital, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
  2. 2 Department of Haematology, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
  3. 3 Haematology, NHS Blood and Transplant, Watford, Hertfordshire, UK
  4. 4 Lysholm Department of Neuroradiology, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK
  5. 5 Department of Paediatrics, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
  1. Correspondence to Dr Joseph Machta, Paediatrics, Barnet Hospital, London EN5 3DJ, UK; joseph.machta{at}nhs.net

Abstract

Iron-deficiency anaemia is a widespread and largely preventable problem in the paediatric population, with numerous potential sequelae. We describe the case of a 2-year-old girl presenting with non-specific symptoms, who was found to be iron-deficient and anaemic, in the context of excessive cow’s milk consumption. We explore the patient’s diagnostic journey, including a neurological deterioration and the link between her iron deficiency and the final diagnosis.

  • anaemia
  • iron deficiency
  • thrombosis
  • thrombophilia
  • neurosurgery

https://doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2020-320687

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    Footnotes

    • Twitter @pepemac27

    • Contributors JM wrote the manuscript and obtained consent. ST edited the manuscript. SE edited the manuscript. AKY provided MRI brain images and contributed descriptions of these for the manuscript.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.