Lower hemoglobin with lower ferritin: It is not just a question of anemia. (December 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Åsberg, Arne; Mikkelsen, Gustav; Thorstensen, Ketil; Åsberg, Ann E.
• Is Part Of: Scandinavian journal of clinical & laboratory investigation. Volume 73:Number 8(2013)
• Page Start: 622
• Page End: 626
• Publication Date: 2013-12
• Subjects: Clinical biochemistry -- Periodicals; Physiology, Pathological -- Periodicals; Physiology, Experimental -- Periodicals; Medicine -- Research -- Periodicals; Clinical medicine -- Periodicals; 616.0072
• DOI: 10.3109/00365513.2013.835863
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0036-5513

Abstract

<abstract> <title>Abstract</title> <p> <bold> <italic>Aim</italic>.</bold> To study the association between blood hemoglobin concentration (b-hemoglobin) and serum ferritin concentration (s-ferritin) in an ambulant patient population without inflammation and with normal kidney function. <bold><italic>Methods</italic>.</bold> In ambulant, adult patients with normal values of s-CRP and s-creatinine, median b-hemoglobin and the fraction with anemia was compared in groups with lower s-ferritin from a level of 100 μg/L. The 10, 50 and 90 percentiles of b-hemoglobin were modelled as functions of s-ferritin using quantile regression. <bold><italic>Results</italic>.</bold> Among 3206 women the entire b-hemoglobin distribution was shifted downwards in patients with s-ferritin less than 20 μg/L. Accordingly, the median b-hemoglobin was statistically significantly lower and the fraction with anemia was higher. In 1246 men the findings were similar, except that the turning point toward lower b-hemoglobin was at a s-ferritin level of 30 μg/L. <bold><italic>Conclusions</italic>.</bold> Low s-ferritin is associated with decreased b-hemoglobin in many more subjects than those labelled anemic.</p> </abstract>