Serum ferritin as an indicator of body iron stores in anemic patients

Abstract

Serum ferritin concentrations have been documented to give an accurate indication of the amount of storage iron not only in healthy individuals but also in cases of iron deficiency or iron over load. A low serum ferritin is highly indicative of deficient iron stores. Values less than 15ng/ml are indicative of negative iron balance or decreased stores. In cases of anemia of chronic diseases, serum ferritin levels are increased as serum ferritin is an acute phase reactant. Thus, in patients of anemia of chronic diseases with concomitant iron deficiency, serum ferritin may not be below 15ng/ml and serum ferritin may not give a true picture of deficiency in these patients. In the present study, we determined the role of serum ferritin as an indicator of body iron stores along with the cut-off value for serum ferritin to detect hypoferremia in patients of anemia of chronic diseases.