Serum ferritin and iron status in ‘healthy’ elderly individuals

Abstract

Milman N, Andersen HC, Pedersen NS. Serum ferritin and iron status in ‘healthy’ elderly individuals. Scand J Clin Lab Invest 1986; 46: 19-26.

Iron status, including S-ferritin. S-iron, S-transferrin, transferrin saturation and haemoglobin, was assessed in 267 selected elderly subjects (128 male, 139 female) with a median age of 79 years (range 60-93 years) not suffering from diseases connected with inappropriately high S-ferritin. In both sexes, S-ferritin levels were practically constant over the examined age range. Males had a geometric mean ferritin of 75 μg/l and females a value of 60 μg/l (p<0.001). Levels of S-ferritin < 15 μg/l (i.e. depleted iron stores) were found in 7.8% of males and in 10.1% of females. An S-ferritin level < 15 μg/l and transferrin saturation <15% (i.e. latent iron deficiency) was observed in 2.3% of males and in 2.2% of females. None had iron deficiency anaemia. In subjects (n=232) without iron deficiency [i.e. S-ferritin ≥1.5 μg/l. mean red cell volume ≥79 fl and haemoglobin ≥ 121 g/l (7.5 mmol/l)], the arithmetic mean of S-iron was 18 μmol/l. S-transferrin 28 μmol/l and transferrin saturation 33%. The levels of S-iron, S-transferrin and transferrin saturation were not significantly different in males and females.

Key Words:

• aged
• erythrocyte indices
• ferritin
• haemoglobin
• iron metabolism
• transferrin