01-16-2012, 05:26 PM
A 21-year-old African American college student has had increasing fatigue over the past 3 weeks. Since an episode of cystitis treated with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole 3 weeks ago, he has been unable to keep up with his physical education classes. For 6 months, he has been following a vegetarian diet that has been supervised by student health services. Examination shows no abnormalities. His hemoglobin level is 10 g/dL, mean corpuscular volume is 85 μm3, and reticulocyte count is 15%. Which of the following is the most likely cause of anemia in this patient?
a. Anemia secondary to infection
b. Antibiotic therapy
c. Gastrointestinal blood loss
d. Sickle cell disease
e. Vegetarian diet
a. Anemia secondary to infection
b. Antibiotic therapy
c. Gastrointestinal blood loss
d. Sickle cell disease
e. Vegetarian diet