Cricoid webs--incidence and follow-up study in Indian patients.

A study was conducted to investigate the association of anaemia with dysphagia and cricoid webs in an adult Indian hospital population of 2,840 patients (1,200 males and 1,640 females). There were 150 cases (5.2%) of anaemia in the total population studied. One hundred and seventeen patients suffered from iron deficiency anaemia and only 33 from non-iron deficiency anaemia. Dysphagia was present in 15 patients (13%) of those with iron deficiency. Six (40%) of these cases of iron deficiency with dysphagia had cricoid webs. None of the cases with non-iron deficiency anaemia or the control population had either dysphagia or cricoid webs. Iron therapy improved four out of the six patients of iron deficiency with cricoid webs both subjectively and objectively.