A Study to Assess the Levels of Salivary Ferritin in Iron Deficiency Anemia Subjects and Healthy Subjects

Introduction: Iron deficiency anemia is one of the most widespread disorders in humans. Early diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia is challenged by assessing serum ferritin levels. However, studies across the globe have concluded that ferritin is present in quantifiable amounts in saliva. Thus, in the study, the scope of using salivary ferritin as a diagnostic biomarker in detecting iron deficiency anemia is studied. Methods: Levels of salivary ferritin in patients with iron deficiency anemia (test group, n=15) and non-anemic subjects (control group, n=15) were assessed by an automated chemilumesent method with a total sample size of 30 volunteers. Results: The mean level of salivary ferritin in subjects with iron deficiency anemia was 139.37±47.90 µg/dl, which was significantly higher when compared to the level in non-anemic subjects, 94.18±62.90 µg/dl, which was contradictory when compared to the levels of serum ferritin. Conclusion: The raise in the levels of salivary ferritin in subjects with iron deficiency anemia can be attributed to the iron-dependent enzymatic function of saliva. Thus, salivary ferritin can become a biomarker that helps in the diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia; however, more research is needed for devising a more standard cutoff value for diagnosing iron deficiency anemia.