ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify characteristics of serum ferrum, TIBC and ferritin's circadian rhythm in normal adults and to prepare a standard to determine the examination material extraction time. METHOD: Nine women and ten men made up the convenience sample for this study. they were from the staff of D university hospital and students in D medical School located in K city who met the qualifications for inclusion in the sample. The value of serum ferrum, TIBC and circadian rhythm were calculated as follows; First, each variable's amplitude, the acrophase and average were measured for a 24 hour cycle using the cosinor method, and then each person's rhythm was analyzed. RESULTS: There were significant serum iron circadian rhythm for both men and women (p<.05). For the men, mesor was 105.91 microgram/dl, amplitude was 29.52 microgram/dl, and the acrophase was 9.76 hour. For the women, mesor was 108.17 microgram/dl, amplitude was 28.09 microgram/dl, and the acrophase was 11.42 hour. The rhythm change of TIBC was only significant for the women (p<.05), mesor was 383.39 mg/dl, amplitude was 60.29 mg/dl, and the acrophase was 14.93hour. As for the circadian rhythm of the ferritin, there are no diurnal variation in either sex, men were between 134.0 ng/ml and 137.4 ng/ml, and women, between 29.1 ng/ml and 30.1 ng/ml. CONCLUSION: To help diagnose the boundary line between normal or deficiency in iron, measurement should be carried out at a fixed time in the morning and evening, or a more proper time would be in the afternoon at the time when the width of amplitude is the least.