Letter to the Editor
Screening Veterans Affairs Patients with Iron Deficiency for Celiac Disease
Abstract
To the Editor:
Upper gastrointestinal tract (GI) endoscopy and colonoscopy are the cornerstones for investigating iron deficiency anemia (IDA).1 If the endoscopic evaluation of the GI tract is equivocal, small bowel (SB) biopsies are routinely obtained to rule out celiac disease (CD). Diagnostic yield of this practice differs in different populations and geographic regions.2 This practice of routine SB biopsies has significant resource implications.3 To date, no one has assessed the usefulness of routine SB biopsies obtained during upper GI endoscopy in Veterans Affairs (VA) patients presenting with IDA.
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