Biomarkers for the differentiation of anemia and their clinical usefulness

iomarkers for the differentiation of anemia and their clinical usefulness Review (132) Total Article Views Authors: Northrop-Clewes CA, Thurnham DI Published Date March 2013 Volume 2013:4 Pages 11 - 22 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/JBM.S29212 Received: 17 October 2012 Accepted: 13 December 2012 Published: 20 March 2013 Christine A Northrop-Clewes,1 David I Thurnham2 1Nutrition Consultant, Cambridge, UK; 2Northern Ireland Centre for Food and Health, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ulster, Coleraine, UK Abstract: The World Health Organization defines anemia as the point at which the amount of hemoglobin in the circulation falls below World Health Organization cutoffs for specific age and sex groups. Anemia is a worldwide problem of complex etiology and is associated with many factors. The purpose of this review was to describe the biomarkers used to identify the nature of anemia in patients and in the community. The important biomarkers are the automated red cell counts, tests for nutritional deficiencies, hemoglobinopathies, and inflammation. Diseases are important potential initiators of anemia, but biomarkers of specific diseases are not included in this review, only the underlying feature common to all disease – namely, inflammation.