Serum ferritin and other iron indices in adult Nigerians with chronic renal failure--review of management of anaemia.

Iron studies were carried out in twenty five adult male and female patients with chronic renal failure and thirty one "healthy" individuals as control. Results showed moderately severe anaemia in all the patients with a mean haemoglobin concentration of 7.4 mg/dl (range 6-9.8 gm/dl). Transferin saturation of 28.8% in the patients was similar to the value of 29.2% in the control group. However, the mean serum ferritin value of 610 micrograms/L in the patients was significantly higher than the corresponding values of 165 micrograms/L and 58 micrograms/L in the control groups respectively. In patients with chronic renal failure, three out of ten bone marrow aspiration showed no stainable iron, and in five patients, iron was grossly increased with corresponding increases in serum ferritin values. In addition, four of the five patients had severe megaloblastic changes in the marrow.