Blood lead concentrations according to body iron status in 279 children
| Healthy control group (n=167) | Iron depletion group (stage I, n=51) | Iron deficient erythropoiesis (stage II, n=22) | Iron deficiency anaemia (stage III, n=39) | p value (stage I v stage II) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data are expressed as mean (SD). | |||||
| TIBC, total iron binding capacity; TS, transferrin saturation; NS, not significant. | |||||
| Haemoglobin (g/dl) | 13.4 (0.6) | 13.2 (0.8) | 12.8 (1.1) | 9.4 (0.9) | NS |
| Iron markers | |||||
| Serum iron (μg/dl) | 74.5 (17.6) | 72.3 (16.2) | 38.1 (5.4) | 21.2 (9.7) | <0.01 |
| TIBC (μg/dl) | 305.9 (37.8) | 338.2 (46.3) | 399.0 (42.5) | 424.5 (50.4) | NS |
| TS (%) | 24.6 (10.7) | 21.5 (8.5) | 9.5 (4.2) | 5.1 (3.6) | <0.01 |
| Serum ferritin (μg/l) | 41.9 (12.5) | 10.7 (4.9) | 9.6 (3.7) | 8.1 (2.3) | NS |
| Blood lead (μg/dl) | 4.3 (1.1) | 4.5 (1.3) | 6.7 (1.4) | 6.9 (1.5) | <0.01 |