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Low iron storage in children and adolescents with neurally mediated syncope

Imad T Jarjour1, Laila K Jarjour

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA. jarjour@bcm.tmc.edu

The Journal of Pediatrics
|June 24, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Low iron storage, indicated by low serum ferritin (SF), is linked to neurally mediated syncope (NMS) in children. This suggests iron deficiency may play a role in the condition.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Hematology

Background:

  • Neurally mediated syncope (NMS) is a common cause of syncope in children.
  • The underlying pathophysiology of NMS is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if low iron storage, measured by serum ferritin (SF), is associated with NMS in pediatric patients.
  • To investigate the potential role of iron deficiency in NMS.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective study of 206 children evaluated for syncope.
  • Serum ferritin (SF), iron, transferrin saturation, and hemoglobin levels were measured.
  • Iron deficiency (ID) was defined as SF <12 microg/L; low iron storage as SF ≤25 microg/L.

Main Results:

  • Children with NMS (71/106) showed a significantly higher prevalence of low iron storage (57% vs 17%) compared to other syncope causes.
  • Patients with NMS had lower mean SF, transferrin saturation, and hemoglobin levels.
  • Iron deficiency and anemia were exclusively observed in the NMS group.

Conclusions:

  • Low iron storage and low serum ferritin are significantly associated with NMS in children.
  • These findings suggest that iron deficiency may be a contributing pathophysiologic factor in NMS.
Abstract

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