Serum Ferritin in Women With HFE p.C282Y Homozygosity: Positive Associations With Age, Live Births, Menopause, and Transferrin Saturation

Abstract

Background

We sought to determine associations of serum ferritin (SF) with live birth numbers and other iron-related variables in women with HFE p.C282Y (rs1800562) homozygosity.

Methods

We studied non-pregnant, non-Hispanic white women in post-screening evaluations to determine associations of SF with age, pregnancy and live birth numbers, dichotomous menopause and therapeutic phlebotomy reports, daily food and supplemental iron intakes, and transferrin saturation (TS).

Results

There were 136 women with mean age 51 ± 13 (SD) years and median SF 238 µg/L (range: 8, 2960). There were 376 pregnancies (median: 3/woman (1, 8)) and 296 live births (median: 2/woman (0, 6)). A total of 70 women (51.5%) reported menopause and 31 women (22.8%) reported phlebotomy. Median heme + non-heme food iron intake was 13.4 mg/d (3.1, 57.3). Mean TS was 62 ± 25%. Pearson's coefficient of ln SF versus age was 0.1955 (p = 0.0226). Median SF of women with and without menopause was 386 µg/L (8, 2960) and 165 µg/L (8, 1894), respectively (p < 0.0002). SF associations with phlebotomy and iron intakes were not significant. Spearman's coefficient of SF versus TS was 0.5079 (p < 0.0001). Four mean ln SF values of 66 women without menopause subgrouped by live birth numbers were similar (one-way ANOVA p = 0.4460). Multiple regressions on SF using pregnancy numbers revealed positive associations with menopause (p = 0.0157) and TS (p < 0.0001) and using live birth numbers revealed positive associations with live births (p = 0.0389), menopause (p = 0.0305), and TS (p < 0.0001).

Conclusions

SF levels in 136 women with p.C282Y homozygosity are positively associated with age, numbers of live births, menopause reports and TS.