Measurement of iron in serum and EDTA plasma for screening of blood transfusion in sports

concluding that the measurement of iron in ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) plasma may be used as a simple and cost effective approach for screening blood transfusion misuse in sports. Although these results are intuitively appealing in the spasmodic fight against doping, they seem at odds with the current recommendations for iron assessment in biological fluids. EDTA is an aminopolycarboxylic acid, which is widely used as an additive and anticoagulant for hematological testing. The underling principle supporting the use in laboratory diagnostics relies in its well established function as a ligand and chelating agent, mirrored by the powerful ability to sequester (i.e., chelate) calcium as well as a number of other metal ions including chromium, lead, mercury, copper, aluminium, nickel, zinc and, last but not least, iron. [2] It is also noteworthy that EDTA chelation for treatment of iron overload has been largely used in the past decades, and is still used in selected categories of patients due to its effectiveness and low toxicity. [3]