ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Zinc protoporphyrin/haem ratio and plasma ferritin in preterm infants

I J Griffin¹, M M Reid², K P B McCormick¹ and R J Cooke¹

¹ Neonatal Nutrition Research Group, Royal Victoria Infirmary, University of Newcastle, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
² Department of Haematology, Royal Victoria Infirmary, University of Newcastle

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr Griffin, USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Centre, Baylor College of Medicine, 1100 Bates Street, Houston, TX 77030, USA;
igriffin{at}bcm.tmc.edu

Objective: To study the utility of the zinc protoporphyrin/haem (ZPP/H) ratio as a measure of iron status in healthy, growing, preterm infants.

Method: ZPP/H was measured in 109 well, preterm infants from the time of hospital discharge until 1 year of age (637 determinations).

Results: ZPP/H was initially high, but steadily declined. This was opposite to what was expected from the known changes in iron stores during the first year of life and the observed changes in plasma ferritin. Subjects with higher ZPP/H ratios tended to have lower ferritins, but changes in ZPP/H in a given subject were poorly reflected by changes in plasma ferritin. Between 6 and 9 months of age, ZPP/H correlated with other measures of iron status, but serum ferritin concentration did not.

Conclusion: Use of the ZPP/H ratio as a measure of iron status during the first year of life appears to be confounded by the developmental changes in ZPP/H, but in the later half of this period it may be a better measure of iron status than serum ferritin.

Keywords: ferritin; haemoglobin; iron deficiency; low birthweight infants; zinc protoporphyrin/haem ratio

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• Lott, D. G., Zimmerman, M. B., Labbe, R. F., Kling, P. J., Widness, J. A. (2005). Erythrocyte Zinc Protoporphyrin Is Elevated With Prematurity and Fetal Hypoxemia. Pediatrics 116: 414-422 [Abstract] [Full Text]