Community screening to reveal iron deficiency in healthy menstruating women in Israelian suburbs

Objective: To determine the incidence of iron deficiency among healthy women of child-bearing age, study the predictive value of blood hemoglobin level for this condition and assess the efficacy of a community screening program. Method: All healthy women aged 18-45 years registered with one community outpatient clinic were requested to complete a questionnaire on present and past medical history; one-third also completed a second questionnaire on symptoms related to anemia. All underwent a blood test for hemoglobin, serum-saturated transferrin and ferritin levels. Results: Of the 163 women who complied (83% of the targeted population), 25.8% were diagnosed as having iron deficiency; of these 40.5% had a hemoglobin level of 12 g% or higher. The most sensitive indicator proved to be serum ferritin level. Iron deficiency was more prevalent in women with a personal history of anemia. Only 34.1% of the study group completed follow-up. Conclusion: There is a high incidence of iron deficiency among women of childbearing age. However, because of the surprisingly low compliance with follow-up visits, preventive periodic screening of healthy menstruating women using routine blood tests is not recommended at this time, except for those with specific complaints or who are at high risk.