The use of soluble transferrin receptor to assess iron deficiency in adults with cystic fibrosis.

Background: Iron deficiency (ID) is common in cystic fibrosis (CF) and the soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) is a sensitive, quantitative measurement of tissue iron deficiency. The study investigated the use of sTfR together with serum iron, transferrin saturation (TS) and serum ferritin, in assessing iron status in adult CF patients.

Methods: The patient population consisted of 127 CF patients which consisted of 51 inpatients with infected exacerbation (IE) and 76 outpatients at the time of their annual review (AR).