This study assessed the prevalence of, and risk factors for, iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) among participants of the fifth Korean Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2010. Of 8,958 participants, 6,758 individuals > or =10 yr had sufficient data for the analysis of anemia and iron status. ID was defined as a transferrin saturation <10% or serum ferritin <15 microg/L. The prevalence of ID and IDA was 2.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3%-2.6%) and 0.7% (95% CI, 0.3%-1.0%), respectively, in males, and 22.4% (95% CI, 20.7%-24.2%) and 8.0% (95% CI, 6.8%-9.2%), respectively, in females. In reproductive age females, the prevalence of ID and IDA was 31.4% (95% CI, 28.9%-33.8%) and 11.5% (95% CI, 9.6%-13.4%), respectively. Compared to the prevalence of IDA in adult males 18-49 yr, the relative risks of IDA in adults > or =65 yr, lactating females, premenopausal females, and pregnant females were 8.1, 35.7, 42.8, and 95.5, respectively. Low income, underweight, iron- or vitamin C-poor diets were also associated with IDA. For populations with defined risk factors in terms of age, gender, physiological state and socioeconomic and nutritional status, national health policy to reduce IDA is needed.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Anemia, Iron-Deficiency/*epidemiology/pathology ; Child ; Female ; Ferritins/blood ; Food Habits ; Humans ; Lactation ; Male ; Menopause ; Middle Aged ; *Nutrition Surveys ; Pregnancy ; Prevalence ; Republic of Korea ; Risk Factors ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Thinness ; Transferrins/analysis ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Transferrin and alpha-1 antitrypsin are reportedly associated with liver fibrosis. We evaluated the usefulness of serum transferrin and alpha-1 antitrypsin as new liver fibrosis markers in patients with chronic hepatitis B. METHODS: The study included 293 patients with chronic hepatitis B who underwent a liver biopsy between October 2005 and June 2009, and who had no history of hepatocellular carcinoma. Serum markers and liver fibrosis stages were compared. RESULTS: Univariate analysis revealed that age (P<0.001), serum platelet count (P<0.001), and serum alkaline phosphatase level (P=0.003) differed significantly between the patients with and without liver cirrhosis. Serum transferrin levels were significantly lower in advanced fibrosis than in mild fibrosis in both univariate analysis (P=0.002) and multivariate analysis (P=0.009). In addition, the serum transferrin level was significantly lower in cirrhotic patients than in noncirrhotic patients (P=0.020). However, the serum level of alpha-1 antitrypsin was not significantly associated with liver cirrhosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B. CONCLUSIONS: Serum transferrin could be promising serum marker for predicting advanced liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Area Under Curve ; Biological Markers/blood ; Female ; Hepatitis B, Chronic/complications/*diagnosis/pathology ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis/complications/*diagnosis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; ROC Curve ; Retrospective Studies ; Transferrins/*blood ; Young Adult ; alpha 1-Antitrypsin/blood