Inamul Haq, Idrees Farooq Butt, Yasir Mateen, Waqas Tariq, Zeeshan Zafar.
Transferrin receptor - ferritin index in non-anemic pregnant females during the third trimester.
Ann Pak Inst Med Sci Jan ;4(1):5-8.

Objective: To determine the role of transferrin receptor-ferritin index as an early marker of iron deficiency during pregnancy. Subjects and Methods: This cross-sectional comparative study was conducted at antenatal clinic at Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi from January 2006 to September 2006. One hundred non-anemic pregnant females in third trimester of pregnancy were divided into iron replete (n=50) and iron deplete (n=50) groups on the basis of serum ferritin levels. In all the cases, hematological parameters [hemoglobin (Hb), red blood cell (RBC) count, packed cell volume (PCV), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC)] were estimated by fully-automated hematology analyzer (Sysmex KX-21). Serum ferritin measurement was done by chemiluminescence technique and serum transferrin receptor estimation was done by immuno-enzymometric assay. From these values, transferrin receptor-ferritin index was calculated. Results: Transferrin receptor-ferritin index had shown a significant rise in the iron deplete group (P<0.05). RBC count had shown a significant rise in the iron deplete group as compared to the iron replete group (P<0.05). MCV and MCH were significantly low in the iron deplete group (P<0.05). Conclusion: The reciprocal relationship of serum transferrin receptors and ferritin becomes useful for the detection of sub-clinical iron deficiency. Hence transferrin receptor-ferritin index helps to detect sub-clinical iron deficiency during pregnancy.

PakMediNet -Pakistan's largest Database of Pakistani Medical Journals - http://www.pakmedinet.com