Is soluble transferrin receptor a good marker of iron deficiency anemia in chronic kidney disease patients?

Anemia in patients with chronic renal failure is multifactorial with an absolute or functional iron deficiency present in 60–80% of patients. In this study, 102 patients of stage 5 chronic kidney disease (CKD) were enrolled. Thirty six age- and sex-matched anemic patients without any known renal disease were taken as controls. Their sTfR levels were measured with anemia profile.(Fe, TIBC, Ferritin, TSAT). The patients were followed up twice, at four weeks and six months. There was a significant statistical difference in the mean sTfR levels in patients when compared to controls (P < 0.01).The mean level of sTfR in CKD patients was 3.23 ± 2.07 mg/l while in controls this was 5.16 ± 3.64 mg/l. sTfR had no statistically significant correlation with the levels of hemoglobin, iron, ferritin, TIBC and TSAT. We conclude that owing to complexity of iron metabolism in CKD, sTfR can not be used as a reliable marker of iron deficiency anemia.