Soluble transferrin receptors in anaemia of pregnancy.

2001 
Anaemia is one of the most common disorders in pregnancy. The most common cause is iron deficiency. Iron deficiency anaemia is relatively easy to diagnose using a serum ferritin of <15 ng/ml. However, because ferritin is an acute phase reactant, the diagnosis of iron deficiency anaemia in hospitalised or ill patients may be difficult, since serum ferritin may be normal or raised, even in the face of iron deficiency. Soluble transferrin receptor assay (STfR) may be useful in these situations because it reflects the degree of iron requirement in relation to supply, and it is not an acute phase reactant. This study was undertaken to detect subclinical anaemia in pregnant women and to correlate STfR assay with the current diagnostic tests for iron deficiency anaemia. One hundred and fifty-three consenting pregnant women seen at the antenatal clinic at King Edward VIII Hospital (KEH) were recruited. Women on haemantinics, who had renal failure, haemoglinopathy and blood transfusion in the past 3 months, were e...
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