Dietary and serum iron, body iron stores and coronary heart disease.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the role of body-iron stores as measured by serum iron, total iron binding capacity (TIBC), transferrin, ferritin and ferritin:transferrin ratio (FTR) in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD).


METHODS
A case-control study was performed in 58 newly diagnosed CHD patients and 24 controls who were evaluated using clinical history, dietary history and biochemical examination. Dietary iron was determined by history; serum iron and TIBC were measured biochemically and ferritin by enzyme-linked immunoassay. Case-control comparisons were performed by non-parametric Mann-Whitney test.


RESULTS
There was no significant difference in mean age, prevalence of diabetes, hypertension and smoking, and dietary intake of calories and fats in cases and controls. Dietary iron intake was 11.2 +/- 3.4 mg/day in cases and 11.3 +/- 3.8 mg/day in controls (p > 0.05). Serum fasting glucose, cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and triglycerides were not significantly different in cases and controls (p > 0.05). LDL/HDL ratio (4.17 +/- 1.4 vs. 4.62 +/- 2.3) and total cholesterol/HDL ratio (6.47 +/- 1.6 vs. 6.91 +/- 2.4) were also similar. In the whole study group serum iron (54.8 +/- 35.7 mcg/dl), transferrin (11.6 +/- 7.4%) and ferritin (52.4 +/- 57.8 ng/ml) levels were low. In cases as compared to controls serum iron (56.9 +/- 31 vs. 49.6 +/- 45 mcg/dl; z = 1.707, p = 0.088) and transferrin saturation (12.5 +/- 7.8 vs. 9.5 +/- 6.2%; z = 1.83, p = 0.066) were slightly more. Ferritin levels (48.8 +/- 55 vs. 60.9 +/- 64 ng/ml; z = 2.048, p = 0.040) as well as FTR (5.51 +/- 8.6 vs 7.47 +/- 6.1, z = 2.054, p = 0.040) was significantly lower in cases.


CONCLUSIONS
In Indian CHD patients the body iron stores are lower as compared to controls.
Gupta
R
R
Department of Medicine, Monilek Hospital and Research Centre, Jaipur.
Rastogi
S
S
Nagar
R
R
Kastia
S
S
Kaul
V
V
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001823:Body Composition; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood*; D019266:Iron, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D014168:Transferrin / Q000378:metabolism*
D019266:Iron, Dietary; D014168:Transferrin; D005293:Ferritins; D007501:Iron