IRON STORES IN 70-YEAR-OLD DANISH MEN AND WOMEN - EVALUATION IN 469 INDIVIDUALS BY SERUM FERRITIN AND HEMOGLOBIN

Iron status, including serum (S-) ferritin and hemoglobin (Hb) was assessed in a population survey of 469 old subjects (70 years of age; 254 men, 215 women): 7.9% of the participants had abnormal laboratory tests indicating diseases which might be connected with inappropriately high S-ferritin levels. Men had a median S-ferritin of 114 mug/L, 5-95 percentile 28-373 mug/L; 2.4% had values <15 mug/L (i.e., depleted iron stores), 3.5% values from 15-30 mug/L (i.e., small iron stores), and 94.1% values >30 mug/L (i.e., replete iron stores); 74.4% had values from 61-300 mug/L, and 8.7% values >300 mug/L. Median Hb was 142 g/L (8.8 mmol/L), 5-95 percentile 124-158 g/L (7.7-9.8 mmol/L); Hb values <129 g/L (8.0 mmol/L) were observed in 7.5%. Iron deficiency anemia (i.e., S-ferritin <15 mug/L and Hb <129 g/L) was seen in 0.39% of the men. Women had lower S-ferritin than men (p<0.0001), median 81 mug/L, 5-95 percentile 20-273 mug/L; 3.3% had values <15 mug/L, 9.3% values from 15-30 mug/L, and 87.4% values >30 mug/L; 63.2% had values from 61-300 mug/L, and 3.7% values >300 mug/L. Hb was lower in women than in men (p<0.0001), median 132 g/L (8.2 mmol/L), 5-95 percentile 118-145 g/L (7.3-9.0 mmol/L); Hb values <121 g/l (7.5 mmol/L) were seen in 6.5%. None of the women had iron deficiency anemia (i.e., S-ferritin <15 mug/L and Hb <121 g/L).