Changes in Body Iron Status, Heart Rate, and Unspecific Symptoms across Menstrual Cycle in Marginally Iron-Deficient Young Women.

Abstract

To determine the body iron status of young women, we screened female university students (n=910: 19-22 years old) in Japan for anemia. The incidence of marginal iron deficiency and iron-deficient anemia were 41.9% and 6.5%, respectively. So, we investigated changes in body iron status across the menstrual cycle in the marginally iron-deficient young women. Further, heart rate and unspecific symptoms were examined concurrently. Forty-three subjects (19-22 years old) were classified by their body iron status into three groups: iron-deficient anemia (hemoglobin, Hb<12g/dl; serum ferritin, SF<17ng/ml), marginal iron deficiency (Hb≥12g/dl, SF<17ng/ml), and adequate iron status (Hb≥12g/dl, SF≥17ng/ml). The marginally iron-deficient group showed a significant decrease in the concentration of Hb and ferritin in serum and an increased resting heart rate level during the luteal phase compared with those parameters for the follicular phase. These changes were observed only in the marginally deficient group. In this group, moreover, unspecific psychological symptoms were more frequently observed than in the other two groups, and these symptoms appeared more frequently during the luteal phase than during the follicular phase. The present study suggests that the decrease in body iron status and the increase in heart rate and unspecific symptoms during the luteal phase were associated with marginal iron deficiency in these young women.