Urinary Ferritin as a Noninvasive Means of Assessing Iron Status in Young Children

Iron deficiency (ID) is the most common nutritional deficiency affecting young children. Serum ferritin concentration is the preferred biomarker for measuring iron status because it reflects iron stores; however, blood collection can be distressing for young children and can be logistically difficult. A noninvasive means to measure iron status would be attractive to either diagnose or screen for ID in young children.

Citation:
Moumin NA, D'Vaz N, Kidd C, MacRae A, Zhou SJ, Richards T, Palmer DJ, Grzeskowiak LE, Sullivan TR, Green TJ. Urinary Ferritin as a Noninvasive Means of Assessing Iron Status in Young Children. J Nutr. 2024.

Keywords:
Australia; iron status; noninvasive biomarker; serum ferritin; the ORIGINS project; urinary ferritin; young children

Abstract:
Iron deficiency (ID) is the most common nutritional deficiency affecting young children. Serum ferritin concentration is the preferred biomarker for measuring iron status because it reflects iron stores; however, blood collection can be distressing for young children and can be logistically difficult. A noninvasive means to measure iron status would be attractive to either diagnose or screen for ID in young children.