[The value of different tests of the efficacy of iron supplementation]

Iron status need to be acurately assessed to guid treatment which is necessary in management of anemia associated with chronic renal failure. Biochemical or cytologic tests can be used. As biochemical tests can be modified by inflammation or denutrition, specificity is sometimes quite low. Whereas it is not the case for cytologic ones, which need further discussions to choose the best cut-off value. Diagnosis of functional iron deficiency needs association of parameters. Poor disponiblity of cytologic tests make them difficult to use, but their usefullness become more and more recognized to complete study by biochemical ones which are known to fail to make correct evaluation in some cases.