Iron stores in 70-year-old Danish men and women. Evaluation in 469 individuals by serum ferritin and hemoglobin.

Iron status, including serum (S-) ferritin and hemoglobin (Hb) was assessed in a population survey of 469 old subjects (70 years of age; 254 men, 215 women); 7.9% of the participants had abnormal laboratory tests indicating diseases which might be connected with inappropriately high S-ferritin levels. Men had a median S-ferritin of 114 micrograms/L, 5-95 percentile 28-373 micrograms/L; 2.4% had values < 15 micrograms/L (i.e., depleted iron stores), 3.5% values from 15-30 micrograms/L (i.e., small iron stores), and 94.1% values > 30 micrograms/L (e.g., replete iron stores); 74.4% had values from 61-300 micrograms/L, and 8.7% values > 300 micrograms/L. Median Hb was 142 g/L (8.8 mmol/L), 5-95 percentile 124-158 g/L (7.7-9.8 mmol/L); Hb values < 129 g/L (8.0 mmol/L) were observed in 7.5%. Iron deficiency anemia (i.e., S-ferritin < 15 micrograms/L and Hb < 129 g/L) was seen in 0.39% of the men. Women had lower S-ferritin than men (p < 0.0001), median 81 micrograms/L, 5-95 percentile 20-273 micrograms/L; 3.3% had values < 15 micrograms/L, 9.3% values from 15-30 micrograms/L, and 87.4% values > 30 micrograms/L; 63.2% had values from 61-300 micrograms/L, and 3.7% values > 300 micrograms/L. Hb was lower in women than in men (p < 0.0001), median 132 g/L (8.2 mmol/L), 5-95 percentile 118-145 g/L (7.3-9.0 mmol/L); Hb values < 121 g/L (7.5 mmol/L) were seen in 6.5%. None of the women had iron deficiency anemia (i.e., S-ferritin < 15 micrograms/L and Hb < 121 g/L).