Low serum iron, total iron binding capacity worsen Crohn’s disease

Low serum iron (SI) and total iron binding capacity (TIBC) may lead to significantly worse Crohn’s disease (CR), reports a recent study.

Eighty-four CD patients (median age 28 years, 64.29 percent men) participated in the present study and were divided into four groups according to CD activity index (CDAI) scores: <150 (remission; n=15), 150–220 (mild activity; n=16), and 221-450 (moderate activity; n=53). Blood samples were also drawn to measure five indicators, including SI, TIBC, ferritin, transferrin, and transferrin saturation. A parallel group of 24 controls was also included.

Serum iron levels decreased with increasing disease activity. Patients in remission, for example, had an average level of 10.50 µmol/L, which dropped to 5.60 µmol/L in those with moderate disease. In healthy controls, the mean serum iron concentration was 16.15 µmol/L, significantly higher than that in all disease activity groups.

A similar effect was reported for TIBC, which had comparable average levels between controls and patients in remission (53.58 and 53.29 µmol/L, respectively) but was significantly lowered among those with moderate disease (43.67 µmol/L).

Logistic regression analysis confirmed that low serum TIBC was a significant correlate of serious CD, increasing such likelihood by more than eight times (odds ratio [OR], 8.259, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 2.267–30.086).

The same was true for low serum iron, but to a much stronger degree, aggravating the odds of serious CD by more than 20 times (OR, 21.315, 95 percent CI, 3.525–128.88).