Abstract

QUINTANA GUZMAN, Eugenia María  and  SALAS CHAVES, María del Pilar. Soluble transferrin receptors as best biochemical test for iron deficiency. Acta bioquím. clín. latinoam. [online]. 2010, vol.44, n.3, pp.311-316. ISSN 0325-2957.

With the aim to evaluate the best biochemical analysis of iron status in preschool children without anemia, a hundred and fortynine samples of boys and girls with an average age of 4 years from an urban marginal community and a rural área from Costa Rica hemoglobin, ferrítin, soluble receptors oí transferrin, erythrocyte protoporphyrln and C reactive proteln were analysed. Forty-two per cent oí the samples presented iron status between the reference interval. Nevertheless, iron deficiency was detected in 30.8% oí the cases using soluble transferrin receptor, 14% with erythrocyte protoporphyrln and 10% with serie ferrítin. In addition, 16.8% of the samples had an unspecified increase in ferrítin due to acute infectious or inflammatory process, and 5% of erythrocyte protoporphyrín. It can be concluded that if serum ferrítin is quantified solely to evalúate iron status, an ímportant portíon of the population (16.8%) would be wrongly díagnosed. If erythrocyte protoporphyrln was considered alone, it would increase the iron deficient samples by 19%, but with 5% of false reductions. However, evaluating the soluble receptors of transferrin we would be detecting a greater number of samples-30.8% with low iron status. In the experience of the authors, it was of major utility use to use the soluble receptors of tranferrin as better biochemical indicators to assess iron status, since ferrítin and erythrocyte protoporphyrln are sensible to circadian changes and to the presence of unspecific acute processes. Because of the data obtained, it was not considered necessary to use different reference valúes for sex or place of residence in four year-old boys and girís because there are no significant statistical differences between sex or resideney for any analysis studied.

Keywords : Anemia; Iron; Soluble transferrin receptor; Ferrítin; Erythrocyte protoporphyrín; Boys; Girls.

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