Version July 2025
| Target population | Rationale |
| Children and adolescents | Increased iron requirements, especially during growth spurt |
| Athletes | Increased iron losses from sweat and blood loss from GI bleeding |
| Vegetarians | Decreased iron intake, especially heme iron |
| Socioeconomically disadvantaged persons | Decreased iron intake |
| Regular blood donors | Blood loss |
| Menstruating persons | Blood loss, especially with heavy menstrual bleeding |
| Pregnant persons | Blood loss and iron transfer to the fetus; potential for fetal, neonatal, and maternal adverse events |
| Older adults, especially with chronic kidney disease or heart failure | Decreased iron absorption due to chronic inflammation; decreased utility of the MCV as a marker of iron deficiency due to concomitant vitamin B12 or folate deficiency |
| Patients with bleeding disorders (hemophilia, VWD) | Blood loss |
| Medications (anticoagulants, anti-inflammatory drugs, antiplatelet drugs, or proton pump inhibitors) | Blood loss; gastric irritation and GI bleeding with NSAIDs, reduced iron absorption with PPIs |
| Persons with a history of gastric surgery | Decreased iron absorption |
| Persons with chronic infections or parasitic infections | Decreased iron absorption due to chronic inflammation; GI blood loss |
