[Evaluation of iron status by serum transferrin receptor level]. / Mat á járnbuskap med maelingu á transferrínvidtökum.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to estimate the value of the transferrin receptor in serum (sTfR) for detecting iron deficiency and compare it with the value of some other blood tests for that purpose. MATERIAL AND METHODS: All patients undergoing bone marrow aspiration in the FSA Hospital, Akureyri, Iceland, in the period 1999 to 2003 were eligible to participate in this prospective study. Included participants were 89. The sensitivity, specificity, efficiency, and Youden index of ferritin, MCV, CHr, sTfR, sTfR-Ferritin-index, the iron saturation of transferrin, and the Thomas-Plot method were calculated. The complete absence of stainable iron in bone marrow was used as the definitive marker of iron depletion. RESULTS: The best method to detect iron deficiency as estimated by the Youden index was the Thomas-Plot method. This method was very specific in cases without evidence of inflammatory processes (CRP <6 mg/L) and very sensitive in cases with elevated CRP (>6 mg/L). The sTfR-Ferritin-index came second and sTfR was the best single blood test to detect iron deficiency according to the Youden index. CONCLUSION: The Thomas-Plot method and the sTfR-Ferritin-index proved to be the most reliable blood tests to diagnose iron deficiency. These parameters can eliminate the need of using bone marrow aspirate to diagnose iron deficiency in some cases.

The prevalence of celiac disease in blood donors in Iceland.

BACKGROUND: Prospective epidemiological studies based on serological methods have shown that celiac disease is more common than previously thought. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of celiac disease among apparently healthy blood donors in Iceland. METHODS: Plasma samples were obtained from 813 apparently healthy blood donors at the FSA Hospital Blood Bank in Akureyri, Iceland, between December 2004 and January 2007 and screened for human tissue transglutaminase IgA antibodies. Positive samples were retested and, if the test was again positive, the subject was referred to a gastroenterologist for clinical examination and a duodenoscopy with mucosal biopsies. RESULTS: Six subjects tested positive for tissue transglutaminase. The prevalence of biopsy-confirmed celiac disease, according to modified Marsh classification, among apparently healthy blood donors in Iceland was found to be 1:136 (0.74%, 95% confidence interval 1/667-1/75, 0.15-1.33%). CONCLUSION: Prevalence of celiac disease in Iceland is similar to what has been reported in many other countries.