Members of the Kidney Health Research Consortium at the Graduate Entry Medical School and University Hospital Limerick: (left to right) Dr Ells Gillis, Darya Yermak, Dr Mohamed Elsayed, Dr Liam Casserly, Prof Austin Stack, Prof Ailish Hannigan, Dr John Ferguson, Dr Hatim Yagoub, and Dr Waleed Mohamed
A new study led by researchers at the Graduate Entry Medical School (GEMS), University of Limerick (UL) has found that people with low levels and very high levels of transferrin saturation are at an increased risk of death.
The study — published by Quarterly Journal of Medicine— (click link to view), found that subjects with extremely low transferrin saturation levels (less that 17.5 per cent) were at a 45 per cent higher risk of death. On the other hand, the risk of death was also significantly higher for subjects with very high levels of transferrin saturation above 31.3 per cent.
According to primary author Prof Austin Stack, Foundation Chair of Medicine at UL’s Graduate Entry Medical School and Consultant Nephrologist at University Hospital Limerick, the transferrin saturation ratio is a commonly used blood test to assess the amount of iron in a patient. “Low levels of transferrin saturation ratio generally indicate iron deficiency, while high levels — traditionally greater than 50 per cent — indicate an excess of iron, which can be detrimental to health."
“In this very large population-based study, we found that individuals at both ends of the spectrum — people with very high and very low levels — were at increased risk of death,” added Prof Stack. “This pattern of association was what we call a j-shaped relationship."
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