Belgian recommendations for the management of anemia in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Anemia is the most common extraintestinal manifestation of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) which, in most cases, results from an absolute or functional iron deficiency. Although anemia and iron deficiency may have a dramatic impact on the quality of life of IBD patients, they are underdiagnosed and undertreated. This paper provides evidence-based consensus guidelines and practical treatment algorithms that are directly applicable to the Belgian situation. In this way, the Belgian IBD research and development Group (BIRD) aims to increase awareness and knowledge among gastroenterologists in order to improve the management of anemia and iron deficiency in their IBD patients.