Is Iron Deficiency in the Absence of Anemia Associated With Fatigue in Inflammatory Bowel Disease?

OBJECTIVES: We explored whether iron deficiency in the absence of anemia is associated with fatigue in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). METHODS: We assessed iron deficiency and anemia in 280 participants from the population-based Manitoba IBD Cohort Study. RESULTS: Iron deficiency was identified in 20% with Crohn's disease and 27% with ulcerative colitis. Anemia was identified overall in 50 (18%), with 230 who were nonanemic. In the nonanemic subgroup, there were no significant differences between iron-deficient and -sufficient groups in mean fatigue levels or proportions with problematic fatigue. There was no unique contribution of iron deficiency to problematic fatigue after adjustment for active disease and anemia. CONCLUSIONS: There was no evidence of an association between iron deficiency and fatigue in the absence of anemia, suggesting that iron deficiency is not a clinically relevant contributor to fatigue in IBD.