Table 4 Characteristics of available iron status indicators adapted from [31]
Indicator | Commonly available | Complexity | Sampling variability | Validated reference material for pregnancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Haemoglobin | Y | Low | Low | Available |
Reticulocyte haemoglobin content | N | Low | Low | Available |
Zinc protoporphyrin | Y | Low | Med | Not available |
Mean cell volume | Y | Low | Low | Available |
Transferrin receptor | N | Medium | Medium | Not available |
Hepcidin | N | Medium/High | Unknown | Not available |
Ferritin | Y | Medium | Medium | Available |