Assessment of iron deficiency in populations

Iron deficiency constitutes a major problem of Public Health affecting 10 to 20% of the world population. Although developing countries are specially susceptible, developed countries are also at risk. The use of reliable indicators of iron status is essential for assessing the magnitude and the distribution of iron deficiency in populations, and for developing effective public health measures. In this paper, the different indicators of iron status are briefly reviewed. The signification of these indicators, as reflect of a change in different body iron compartmentalization is also presented. In addition, their limitations in epidemiological surveys have been evaluated. It appears that no single iron parameter monitors the entire spectrum of iron deficiency. A combination of indicators, depending on the objectives of the study, the characteristics of the study population and the working conditions is required to measure the body iron content of individuals and to evaluate the iron status of the population.