mums weightloss

[staffie01]

my mum is 81 and has had blood tests because of weight loss.
Her blood test results came back that she had a very low hemoglobin count of 7.0 and that she was anemic (iron defficient)
Could you tell me what could be causing this

[staffie01]

Forgot to mention that she is also taking tablets ( omeprazole 40mg daily, tramadol 50mg 4 times daily and co codamol 4 tmies daily) and she has a sore mouth due to loss of teeth and has been experiencing trouble chewing her food, because it hurts to do so.
Thanks from staffie01

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Welcome to the MedHelp forum!
There are a few things which come to my mind. May be there is a bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract, either at the esophagus or an ulcer or due to any form of IBS. Low iron could be due to poor intake, loss from body as happens in acidity and GERD, rectal polyps etc, due to improper absorption or due to storage disorders. Also you need to get a pheripheral blood smear done for your mother to know the RBC count, structure and whether there is cytopenia (general decrease in cell count). The renal function and liver function needs to be checked as also electrophoresis of hemoglobin to know whether there is thalasemia trait or sickle cell anemia. Stool should be examined for occult blood.
Hope this helps. Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!