The relative importance of various laboratory measurements in the diagnosis of iron deficiency.

Abstract

ABSTRACTRegression analysis was performed on a number of haematological variables obtained from a population sample of 38‐year‐old women. The correlation coefficients were higher between the blood haemoglobin concentration on the one hand and serum iron concentration, total iron binding capacity, transferrin saturation, sideroblast count, iron absorption and menstrual blood loss on the other than between packed cell volume or erythrocyte count and the same haematological variables mentioned above. The correlation coefficients between transferrin saturation and the above haematological variables were higher than the correlation coefficients between serum iron concentration or total iron binding capacity and the same variables. The highest correlation coefficients with the above mentioned haematological variables were found for reticuloendothelial iron in the bone marrow. The prevalence of women with a lack of reticuloendothelial iron in the bone marrow was high when haemoglobin concentrations and mean corpuscular haemoglobin values were within the lowest two decentiles defined as a haemoglobin concentration below 127 g/l and a mean corpuscular haemoglobin below 31 pg/erythrocyte. Mean corpuscular haemoglobin and transferrin saturation were relatively low in women with an iron absorption above 80 % and a menstrual blood loss above 40 ml per menstrual cycle.