Anemia Secondary to Organ Dysfunction

Johanna L. Watson • Gary P. Carlson

A mild to moderate unresponsive anemia can develop in patients with chronic endocrine, hepatic, renal, or GI diseases. These disorders can produce bone marrow depression by reducing absorption, processing, and distribution of elements essential for erythropoiesis; allowing elaboration or accumulation of toxic compounds; or interfering with the production or action of erythropoietin.^15,16 These effects can occur independently of the alterations in iron metabolism that characterize the anemia of inflammatory disease.¹⁴ However, should inflamma­tory processes be responsible for the specific organ damage or dysfunction, the same pattern of anemia as described in the previous section would apply.

Internal parasitism, particularly Tricbostrongylus spp. in ruminants, can result in a marked anemia that is primarily the result of bone marrow depression in which failure to absorb iron, copper, and essential amino acids plays a major role.