Biomaterial Database

The use of zinc protoporphyrin in screening young children for iron deficiency. 1994

R M Siegel, and D H LaGrone

Division of General Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229.

The common practice of screening children for iron deficiency with hematocrit (HCT) or hemoglobin detects only those children with iron deficiency severe enough to cause anemia. At 40 cents per test, zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP) can be measured in the physician's office and identify iron deficiency before anemia develops. The purpose of our study was to evaluate ZPP screening in young children by hematofluorimetry. All children between 9 and 36 months old were enrolled over a 1-year period. All children with HCT < 33% or iron deficiency (ZPP > or = 50 mumoles per mole-heme) were treated with ferrous sulfate at 3 mg-Fe/kg/day for 3 months. Four hundred and fifty-eight children were screened with a blood ZPP and spun HCT at entry. Two hundred and forty-three children (53%) had both a normal ZPP and HCT, 155 (34%) had a ZPP > or = 50 and normal HCT, 26 (6%) had a ZPP > or = 50 with HCT < 33%, and 34 (7%) had a normal ZPP and HCT < 33%. Of those with an elevated ZPP and normal HCT, 76% had a therapeutic response to iron therapy, with a 10% decrease in ZPP (P < 0.005). ZPP had a greater sensitivity (81%) than HCT (16%) in identifying children with iron deficiency. ZPP proved to be an effective and inexpensive addition to HCT in identifying children with iron deficiency.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007223	Infant	A child between 1 and 23 months of age.	Infants
D008403	Mass Screening	Organized periodic procedures performed on large groups of people for the purpose of detecting disease.	Screening,Mass Screenings,Screening, Mass,Screenings,Screenings, Mass
D008922	Mississippi	State bounded on the north by Tennessee, on the east by Alabama, on the south by Louisiana and Gulf of Mexico, and on the west by Arkansas and Louisiana.
D011524	Protoporphyrins	Porphyrins with four methyl, two vinyl, and two propionic acid side chains attached to the pyrrole rings. Protoporphyrin IX occurs in hemoglobin, myoglobin, and most of the cytochromes.
D002675	Child, Preschool	A child between the ages of 2 and 5.	Children, Preschool,Preschool Child,Preschool Children
D005296	Ferrous Compounds	Inorganic or organic compounds that contain divalent iron.	Compounds, Ferrous
D005470	Fluorometry	An analytical method for detecting and measuring FLUORESCENCE in compounds or targets such as cells, proteins, or nucleotides, or targets previously labeled with FLUORESCENCE AGENTS.	Fluorimetry,Fluorometric Analysis,Analysis, Fluorometric
D006400	Hematocrit	The volume of packed RED BLOOD CELLS in a blood specimen. The volume is measured by centrifugation in a tube with graduated markings, or with automated blood cell counters. It is an indicator of erythrocyte status in disease. For example, ANEMIA shows a low value; POLYCYTHEMIA, a high value.	Erythrocyte Volume, Packed,Packed Red-Cell Volume,Erythrocyte Volumes, Packed,Hematocrits,Packed Erythrocyte Volume,Packed Erythrocyte Volumes,Packed Red Cell Volume,Packed Red-Cell Volumes,Red-Cell Volume, Packed,Red-Cell Volumes, Packed,Volume, Packed Erythrocyte,Volume, Packed Red-Cell,Volumes, Packed Erythrocyte,Volumes, Packed Red-Cell
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000090463	Iron Deficiencies	Deficient amounts of iron in the body as a result of blood loss, diets deficient in iron, or an iron uptake or storage disorder.	Hypoferritinemia,Iron Deficiency,Latent Iron Deficiency,Sideropenia,Deficiencies, Iron,Deficiencies, Latent Iron,Deficiency, Iron,Deficiency, Latent Iron,Hypoferritinemias,Iron Deficiencies, Latent,Iron Deficiency, Latent,Latent Iron Deficiencies,Sideropenias