Evaluation of iron overload in healthy adult residents of Mexico City.
BACKGROUND
We described the effects of age, gender and body mass index (BMI) on the prevalence of iron overload (IO) in blood donors from Mexico City.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study of clinically healthy adults was performed. We evaluated serum ferritin (SF) concentration to allow us to establish groups with normal iron stores (SF >30 microg/L) and with IO (SF >200 microg/L and >300 microg/L for women and men), in the following ages groups: 18-29 years, 30-49 years, and 50-64 years, divided by gender.


RESULTS
The study included 1757 subjects. Prevalence of IO was 12% in men and 4.8% in women, and prevalence increased in parallel with increasing age (15.6, 25.0 and 29.9% and 3.5, 5.2 and 9.6%, for men and women, respectively). Regression analysis showed that in men there was a significant association of SF and IO with age, BMI and recent blood donation (p <0.01). In women, no differences were seen for BMI and recent blood donation.


CONCLUSIONS
IO is highly prevalent in blood donors residing in Mexico City, more so in men than in women. Age, gender and BMI had a positive association with iron stores. This report is the initial contribution towards the study of IO in the Mexican population.
Baptista-González
Héctor
H
Hematología Perinatal, Subdirección de Investigación Clínica, Instituto Nacional de Perinatología, México City, Mexico. baptista@infosel.net.mx
Rosenfeld-Mann
Fanny
F
Trueba-Gómez
Rocío
R
Méndez-Sánchez
Nahum
N
Uribe
Misael
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D019190:Iron Overload / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D017678:Sex Distribution
D005293:Ferritins