D63.0/D63.8
DESCRIPTION
Anaemia due to chronic inflammation. This is characteristically a normochromic normocytic anaemia. Common causes of anaemia of chronic disorder include:
- malignancy, e.g. haematological or solid tumours,
- autoimmune disorders, e.g. rheumatoid arthritis,
- chronic infections, e.g. HIV and TB,
- chronic kidney disease
TREATMENT
Treat the underlying condition.
Transfusion is seldom necessary.
Do not treat with iron, folic acid or vitamin B12 unless there is a documented deficiency (note that diagnosing iron deficiency is difficult in chronic disorders as ferritin increases and serum iron decreases due to the acute phase response). A transferrin saturation level less than 20% usually indicates a combination of iron deficiency anaemia and anaemia of chronic disease.