Iron-binding proteins, hepatitis B virus, and mortality in the Solomon Islands

The hypothesis that serum levels of ferritin and transferrin are associated with subsequent mortality was tested in a population of Solomon Islanders who had been followed over an 8-12-year period beginning in 1966. A case-control analysis of 105 matched pairs showed that 1966-1970 levels of ferritin were higher and levels of transferrin were lower in Solomon Islanders who had died by 1978 than in matched controls who were alive in 1978. These findings support the hypothesis and, in addition, are consistent with the view that increased iron stores are associated with increased mortality. Among females, the association of ferritin with mortality was more pronounced in chronic carriers of hepatitis B virus than in noncarriers.