Serum ferritin to detect iron deficiency in children below five years of age

  • Windy Saufia Apriyanti Department of Child Health, Gadjah Mada University Medical School, Dr Sardjito Hospital
  • Sutaryo Sutaryo Department of Child Health, Gadjah Mada University Medical School, Dr Sardjito Hospital
  • Sri Mulatsih Department of Child Health, Gadjah Mada University Medical School, Dr Sardjito Hospital
Keywords: iron deficiency, serum ferritin, soluble transferrin receptor

Abstract

Background Iron deficiency (ID) anemia impacts the
cognitive and motor development of children until the age of
10 years, despite receiving iron therapy. Early det ection of ID
is recommended and serum ferritin has been proposed as an
alternative indicator for ID det ection.
Objective To assess th e diagnostic accuracy of serum ferritin for
detecting ID in children below five years of age.
Methods T his cross-sectional, diagnostic study was conducted in
primary health care centers in Yogyakarta and Bantu!. Hemoglobin
(Hb), serum ferritin and soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) levels
were performed on children aged 6- 59 months.A sTfR level of 2:
8.2 mg/L was used to define iron deficiency. T he best cutoff point
for serum ferritin level use as a diagnostic tool was determined by
receiver operator curve.
Results T he prevalence ofID was32%. Mean h emoglobin levels
in iron deficient and healthy children were 11.7 (SD 0.5) g/dL and
12.2 (SD 0.7) g/dL, respectively. T he sensitivity, specificity, and
positive predictive value (PPV) of serum ferritin ( < 12 ug/L) were
17%, 93%, and 56%, respectively. Using a cut off of <32.4 ug/L,
serum ferritin had sensitivity of 62. l % and specificity of 50.8%.
Conclusions The diagnostic value of serum fe rritin levels is
modestly capable of detecting ID. Therefore, serum ferritin should
not be used as an alternative indicator for detecting ID in children
below five years of age.

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Published
2013-06-30
How to Cite
1.
Apriyanti W, Sutaryo S, Mulatsih S. Serum ferritin to detect iron deficiency in children below five years of age. PI [Internet]. 30Jun.2013 [cited 29Mar.2024];53(3):150-. Available from: https://paediatricaindonesiana.org/index.php/paediatrica-indonesiana/article/view/272
Section
Articles
Received 2016-08-21
Accepted 2016-08-21
Published 2013-06-30