New peer-reviewed publication in Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM)
Iron deficiency is a principal contributor to anemia, but how it is measured and diagnosed can vary in routine clinical practice. New research leveraging results from the PHARMO Data Network’s general practitioner (GP) database and 4 clinical laboratories across the Netherlands highlights significant variation in the percentage of ferritin concentration measurements classified as abnormal, risking misdiagnosis, and incorrect treatment for patients with iron-related disorders. Between the 18 GPs investigated, the percentage of patients with low classification ferritin reference intervals ranged from 33-89% % in pre-menopausal women, 7-47% in postmenopausal women and 8-28% in men, pointing to potential discrepancies in the diagnosis of iron-related disorders, depending on which GP a patient visits.
This study emphasises a critical issue, stemming from lack of harmonization in ferritin reference measurements, and an urgency to improve standardization across clinical decision makers. For researchers, these findings suggest that – when working with laboratory data – cutoff values for diagnoses may benefit from accounting for population differences and individual characteristics such as age, sex, menopausal status, and ethnicity, as well as exploring measurements that are outside the reference intervals of each laboratory. This approach can strengthen real world evidence study designs by ensuring clinically meaningful cohort selection and analysis interpretation.
Read the full publication here, and reach out to our Research team at the PHARMO Institute to learn more.
