title: Serum ferritin in evaluation of iron status in children.
abstract: The value of serum ferritin in assessing iron status was studied in 192 preschool age children between the ages of 3 and 60 months. Children were considered to have iron deficiency if the transferrin saturation was less than 16% and the peripheral smear revealed microcytosis and hypochromia. Anemia was present when hemoglobin level was 10.5 g/dl. According to this criteria, 46% of children screened had either iron deficiency (11.5%) or iron deficiency anemia (34.4%). Mean serum ferritin for the iron deficiency anemia group was 39.1 ng/mg as compared to 41.7 ng/ml for the iron deficiency group and 84.7 ng/ml for the normal group. Even though the serum ferritin level was lower in the iron deficiency group, the difference in the means did not reach statistical significance. Furthermore, only 30% of children who had either iron deficiency or iron deficiency anemia had serum ferritin level of less than 12 ng/ml, the level considered diagnostic for iron deficiency. It can be concluded that serum ferritin cannot be used alone for iron status determination. Multiple parameters will make the assessment more reliable.
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000747:Anemia, Hypochromic / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood*; D006400:Hematocrit; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D000090463:Iron Deficiencies; D014168:Transferrin / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D014168:Transferrin; D005293:Ferritins