Iron status of women from selected rural areas of Sidama Zone, southern Ethiopia

Anthropometrics and iron status of 194 non‐pregnant women from rural Ethiopia were evaluated. Volunteers from three adjacent communities were included. Mean (SD) age was 30.8 (7.9) y. Mean height was 157.3 (6.0) cm and mid upper arm circumference (MUAC) was 24.8 (2.5) cm. Body mass index (BMI) was < 18.5 for 24.8% of the women and ≥ 25 for only 2.0% of women. A fasting morning venipuncture sample was collected. Hemoglobin was measured with a Hemocue and plasma was separated and frozen. Based on a cutoff of 125 g/L for hemoglobin (adjusted for altitude of 1708 m), 21 % were anemic; median hemoglobin was 138 g/L. Depleted iron stores (plasma ferritin <12 μg/L) were measured in 22% of women but were not significantly correlated with hemoglobin. Analysis of alpha 1‐acid glycoprotein (AGP) showed that only one woman had >1.0 g AGP/L indicating that ferritin values might not be much affected by chronic inflammation. Only 5% of women had transferrin receptors (TfR) > 8.3 ug/mL. Correlations between ferritin and hemoglobin were not significant but TfR were negatively correlated with hemoglobin (r = −0.29, p<0.0001) and TfR were higher (p<0.0015) in iron‐depleted women than in women with plasma ferritin > 12 μg/L. Overall results are consistent with our previous studies indicating that iron deficiency is not as severe in southern Ethiopia as in some other areas and that for some women hemoglobin levels below 125 g/L may be due to one or more other essential nutrient deficiencies. [[Supported by Hawassa University, Oklahoma State University, and NIHR01HD053053 (NICHD & Fogarty International Center)].