IRON DEFICIENCY IN PATIENTS WITH DIABETES: CORRELATION BETWEEN SOLUBLE TRANSFERRIN RECEPTOR, FERRITIN AND SOLUBLE TRANSFERRIN RECEPTOR-FERRITIN INDEX

The purpose of the present study is to compare parameters of iron homeostasis by evaluating the significance of the ratio sTfR/log ferritin (sTfR-ferritin index) in patients with diabetes. The patientsʼ blood samples were taken from the University Hospital of Medical University – Plovdiv. The serum levels of sTfR (soluble transferrin receptor) and ferritin were analyzed with commercially available ELISA kits. The results obtained show a negative correlation between ferritin and sTfR (r = -0.228, p = 0.043), ferritin and sTfR-ferritin index (r = -0.402, p < 0.0001) and positive correlation between sTfR and sTfR-ferritin index (r = 0.722, p < 0.0001) in the patients with diabetes. The same parameters are investigated separating the patients according to the CRP level. In the group with increased CRP there is a negative correlation between ferritin and sTfR-ferritin index (r = -0.847, p < 0.0001). In the group with normal CRP there is a negative correlation between ferritin and sTfR (r = -0.310, p = 0.03) and a positive correlation between sTfR and sTfR-ferritin index (r = 0.693, p < 0.001). The sTfR-ferritin index showed a high correlation with ferritin in the group with increased CRP and vice versa, a high correlation with sTfR in the group with normal CRP. The parallel determination of ferritin / sTfR-ferritin index and sTfR / sTfR-ferritin index for diabetes according to CRP would allow to develop additional criteria for the evaluation of iron homeostasis in diabetes.