13 April 2026

For the 180,000 Australians who live with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), introducing routine testing for iron deficiency could ensure tens of thousands of people who could be undiagnosed as iron deficient get the proper care they need.

Research published in the Internal Medicine Journal, a publication from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, highlights the ongoing prevalence of iron deficiency in people with inflammatory bowel disease.

Professor Jane Andrews, senior author of the study, says addressing iron deficiency is ‘low hanging fruit’ to improve the health and quality of life for people living with IBD.

“Iron plays a key role in our day-to-day lives. Low iron can lead to both mental and physical fatigue and poor sleep, but a good diet and access to iron replacement on the PBS are simple ways to treat iron deficiency.

“In our cohort, only 35 per cent of people with IBD under routine care were tested for iron deficiency, even though it is well known that iron deficiency is linked to IBD.

“One in four of those tested were iron deficient, which supports what we’ve long known about the prevalence of iron deficiency and anaemia in people with IBD.

“We didn’t see any major differences between the people who did have their iron levels tested and those who didn’t – which supports our premise that people who are iron deficient are falling through the cracks simply because they aren’t being tested.

“Testing and treating iron deficiency is easy and cheap – why is it not a part of our routine check-up and treatment plans?

“One of the key issues is that Australia doesn’t have obligatory clinical care standards for inflammatory bowel disease, leaving huge gaps in the way we deliver care.

“Iron deficiency is a scale ranging from low iron stores through to anaemia, which is when the body doesn’t have enough iron to produce red blood cells vital to our health – so we can catch iron deficiency and treat it before it reaches critical levels and causes anaemia.

“An easy way to deliver quality, consistent and safe care is to include testing for iron deficiency as part of our checklists and guidelines for people with IBD.

“This is an easy win – we should be embracing practical solutions and funding proactive health measures that improve lives. It’s common sense,” says Professor Andrews.