Iron indices: What do they really mean? D. Coyne  Kidney International  Volume 69, Pages S4-S8 (May 2006) DOI: 10.1038/sj.ki.5000404 Copyright © 2006 International Society of Nephrology Terms and Conditions

Figure 1 Graph illustrating the association between malnutrition scores and serum ferritin levels. Patients considered to have severe protein-energy malnutrition had significantly higher serum ferritin levels than patients with moderate protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) or adequately nourished patients. Reprinted with permission from Nephrol Dial Transplant 2004; 19: 141–149.14 Kidney International 2006 69, S4-S8DOI: (10.1038/sj.ki.5000404) Copyright © 2006 International Society of Nephrology Terms and Conditions

Figure 2 Hazard ratios of death for time-varying ferritin categories. In unadjusted model, a serum ferritin >800 ng/ml during each quarter was associated with increased death rate, whereas in case-mix adjusted model, a tendency toward increased death rate first was observed when serum ferritin was >1000 ng/ml. After additional multivariate adjustment for the confounding effect of malnutrition–inflammation–cachexia syndrome (MICS), there was no increased death rate for serum ferritin levels as high as 1200 ng/ml. Reprinted with permission from J Am Soc Nephrol 2005; 16: 3070–3080.18 Kidney International 2006 69, S4-S8DOI: (10.1038/sj.ki.5000404) Copyright © 2006 International Society of Nephrology Terms and Conditions

Figure 3 Response to continued i.v. iron therapy (50–100 mg/week) in 149 hemodialysis patients who were already considered iron replete based on serum ferritin levels. These patients responded to i.v. iron with increases in mean hematocrit levels (a) and an enhanced response to recombinant human erythropoietin therapy, despite having serum ferritin levels above the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative-recommended range (b). Reprinted with permission from Clin Nephrol 2002; 57: 136–141.29 Kidney International 2006 69, S4-S8DOI: (10.1038/sj.ki.5000404) Copyright © 2006 International Society of Nephrology Terms and Conditions