title: Determination of iron status in women attending genitourinary clinics with pruritus vulvae.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare iron status in women with pruritus vulvae and in asymptomatic controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  42 women with pruritus vulvae and 42 asymptomatic broadly age-matched controls were enrolled in this prospective study. The outcome measures assessed were serum iron, serum ferritin, total iron-binding capacity, haemoglobin and transferrin saturation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  12 (29%) participants and 10 (24%) controls were iron deficient; 1 (2%) participant and 1 (2%) control had laboratory-defined iron deficiency anaemia. Participants generally had lower levels of iron markers than controls, with differences (95% confidence interval (CI)) of -3.5 microg/l (-9.89 to 6.99) for serum ferritin (p = 0.73), -4.9 mmol/l (-8.12 to 0.12) for serum iron (p = 0.06) and -5.5 mmol/l (-5.75 to 1.46) for total iron-binding capacity (p = 0.24). No significant difference in haemoglobin or mean cell volume was shown between the two groups (haemoglobin: p = 0.17, 95% CI -0.83 to 0.15; mean cell volume: p = 0.15, 95% CI -4.59 to 0.73).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study does not provide evidence to support the routine determination of iron status in patients presenting to genitourinary medicine clinics with pruritus vulvae from all causes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genito-Urinary Medicine, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS FT, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Glossop Road, Sheffield S10, UK. sylviabates@yahoo.co.uk
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Bates
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dilke-Wing
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood*; D000090463:Iron Deficiencies; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011539:Pruritus Vulvae / Q000097:blood*; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D005293:Ferritins; D007501:Iron