Non-invasive detection of iron deficiency by fluorescence measurement of erythrocyte zinc protoporphyrin in the lip

Worldwide, more individuals have iron deficiency than any other health problem. Most of those affected are unaware of their lack of iron, in part because detection of iron deficiency has required a blood sample. Here we report a non-invasive method to optically measure an established indicator of ir...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Nature communications Vol. 7; no. 1; p. 10776
Main Authors:	Hennig, Georg, Homann, Christian, Teksan, Ilknur, Hasbargen, Uwe, Hasmüller, Stephan, Holdt, Lesca M., Khaled, Nadia, Sroka, Ronald, Stauch, Thomas, Stepp, Herbert, Vogeser, Michael, Brittenham, Gary M.
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	London Nature Publishing Group UK 17-02-2016 Nature Publishing Group Nature Portfolio
Subjects:	140/125 631/61 692/308 9/10 Blood Blood vessels Erythrocytes - chemistry Erythrocytes - metabolism Female Fluorescence Humanities and Social Sciences Humans Iron Iron - chemistry Iron - deficiency Iron Metabolism Disorders - diagnosis Iron Metabolism Disorders - metabolism Lip - chemistry Lip - metabolism Luminescent Measurements - methods Male multidisciplinary Pediatrics Protoporphyrins - chemistry Protoporphyrins - metabolism Science Science (multidisciplinary) Sensitivity and Specificity Spectrum analysis Womens health New York United States > US Germany
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Summary:	Worldwide, more individuals have iron deficiency than any other health problem. Most of those affected are unaware of their lack of iron, in part because detection of iron deficiency has required a blood sample. Here we report a non-invasive method to optically measure an established indicator of iron status, red blood cell zinc protoporphyrin, in the microcirculation of the lower lip. An optical fibre probe is used to illuminate the lip and acquire fluorescence emission spectra in ∼1 min. Dual-wavelength excitation with spectral fitting is used to distinguish the faint zinc protoporphyrin fluorescence from the much greater tissue background fluorescence, providing immediate results. In 56 women, 35 of whom were iron-deficient, the sensitivity and specificity of optical non-invasive detection of iron deficiency were 97% and 90%, respectively. This fluorescence method potentially provides a rapid, easy to use means for point-of-care screening for iron deficiency in resource-limited settings lacking laboratory infrastructure. Iron deficiency, the most common health problem in the world, has required a blood test for diagnosis. Here, the authors show that iron deficiency can be detected non-invasively and quickly by measuring the fluorescence of red blood cell zinc protoporphyrin in the microcirculation of the lip.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 These authors contributed equally to this work.
ISSN:	2041-1723 2041-1723
DOI:	10.1038/ncomms10776