Serum ferritin values in neonates <29 weeks' gestation are highly variable and do not correlate with reticulocyte hemoglobin content

Authors

Timothy M Bahr
Sylvia Tan
Emily Smith
Sandra S Beauman
Kurt R Schibler
Cathy A Grisby
Jean R Lowe
Edward F Bell
Abbot R Laptook
Seetha Shankaran
David P Carlton
Carrie Rau
Mariana C Baserga
John Flibotte
Kristin Zaterka-Baxter
Michele C Walsh
Abhik Das
Robert D Christensen
Robin K Ohls
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-1-2023

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To compare serum ferritin and RET-He values among extremely low gestational age neonates ELGANs with other markers of iron-deficient erythropoiesis.

STUDY DESIGN: This is a secondary analysis of the NICHD Darbepoetin Trial. Study data from placebo recipients who had a serum ferritin, a RET-He, and a mean corpuscular volume (MCV) measurement within a 24-hour period were analyzed for correlation.

RESULTS: Mixed linear regression models showed no association between ferritin and RET-He at both early (β = 0.0016, p = 0.40) and late (β = -0.0001, p = 0.96) time points. Positive associations were observed between RET-He and MCV at baseline, early, and late time points (p < 0.01, =0.01,

CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that RET-He is better correlated with MCV as a marker of iron-limited erythropoiesis than ferritin. The results suggest that ferritin is limited as a marker of iron sufficiency in premature infants.

STUDY IDENTIFICATION: FDA IND Number 100138; ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT03169881; NRN ID number NICHD-NRN-0058 (Darbe).

Publication Title

Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association

ISSN

1476-5543

Volume

43

Issue

11

First Page

1368

Last Page

1373

DOI

10.1038/s41372-023-01751-z

Language (ISO)

English

Recommended Citation

Bahr TM, Tan S, Smith E, Beauman SS, Schibler KR, Grisby CA, Lowe JR, Bell EF, Laptook AR, Shankaran S, Carlton DP, Rau C, Baserga MC, Flibotte J, Zaterka-Baxter K, Walsh MC, Das A, Christensen RD, Ohls RK; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network. Serum ferritin values in neonates <29 >weeks' gestation are highly variable and do not correlate with reticulocyte hemoglobin content. J Perinatol. 2023 Nov;43(11):1368-1373. doi: 10.1038/s41372-023-01751-z. Epub 2023 Aug 18. PMID: 37596391.