[Studies on the change in the levels of serum ferritin, serum iron and total iron binding capacity caused by aging and sex difference].

Sex difference and aging change of serum ferritin concentration in normal subjects were studied with their relations to serum iron concentration, total iron binding capacity (TIBC) and other hematological parameters. The subjects of this study were the stuff of our hospital (113 males and 330 females) and some old patients without having any diseases of internal medicine (11 males and 23 females), 477 in all. Serum ferritin level was 108.0 +/- 57.8 ng/ml in men and 26.4 +/- 22.7 ng/ml in women, which showed the significant difference between the sexes. In terms of the changes in serum ferritin level by aging, serum ferritin level increased with age from twenties to fifties in the men. On the other hand, it remained low in the women to their forties and its changes by aging were not observed, though it abruptly increased in the women after 50 years of age. The low levels of serum ferritin, iron, transferrin saturation (Fe/TIBC) and hemoglobin of red blood cell were often observed in the women aged from 18 to 45, but rarely found in the women after 50 years of age. According to this fact, the low level of serum ferritin in the young women are considered to be related to the menstruation. Significant correlation between serum ferritin and serum iron or transferrin saturation was shown both in men and women, while that between serum ferritin and hemoglobin of red blood cell was shown only in women.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)