Hi all, one of the things to take note of is that the most common cause of anemia among older people is GI bleeding. So if you are due for a colonoscopy, go ahead and get it done! I had a bout of serious anemia several years ago which was when it was discovered that my Crohn's disease, up til then very mild, was causing bleeding so I was started on Humira which has kept my Crohn's under control and cleared up the anemia. I've had milder ups and downs since then so I take daily iron. Also important to know: if your anemia is at a certain point, best practices now are to treat with iron infusions rather than oral iron. Easier on the stomach and faster improvement.

To complicate matters, bronchiectasis itself CAN be related to low iron. I can't claim to understand the mechanics of this -- maybe someone else more knowledgeable here can explain better -- but it has to do with the relationship of iron to oxygen delivery to the blood. This is a very small study but it found that 60%+ of adults with bronchiectasis are anemic:
https://journals.lww.com/ecdt/fulltext/2018/67040/prevalence_and_impact_of_anemia_in_patients_with.20.aspx
So, it's one issue related to our very complex condition!