[Changes in iron levels in non-anemic women 18-58 years of age]

The objective was to describe changes in serum ferritin (SF) in women residents in Mexico City. We evaluated prospectively, three groups of non-anemic, non-pregnant women (< 20, 21-40 y 40-58 years old). Sociodemographic variables, hemoglobin (Hb) and erythrocyte index and SF values were registered. We included 252 women in the study. There were no differences in Hb values (15.0, 14.6 and 14.7 g/dL) or erythrocyte index between the three groups of women. We found significative differences (p < 0.001) in mean values of (32 and 34 micrograms/L), for group 1 and 2, with group 3 (SF 54 micrograms/L). In global sample, we observed low SF store, a normal or higher in 76 cases (30.2%), 163 (64.6%) and 13 cases (5.2%), respectively. The women with SF lower than 20 micrograms/L were in proportion 0.54, 0.32 and 0.16. Elevated values in SF were found in a proportion 0.04, 0.18 and 0.13, for groups 1, 2 and 3, with significative differences (p < 0.001). We observed that non-anemic women in Mexico City, showed increase in SF concentrations beginning at 41 years of age, without any major variation in their erythocyte indexes. The prevalence in moderate-severe iron deficiency between 18 to 40 years of years, decreasing progressively.