Serum ferritin distribution in elite athletes

It is not uncommon for athletes to be diagnosed with iron deficiency, yet there remains uncertainty whether the prevalence of suboptimal iron status in elite athletes differs from the normal population or warrants routine screening. The purpose of this study is to describe the distribution of serum ferritin (SF) in a cohort of elite athletes. Retrospective cohort study. Electronic health records of 1085 elite adult athletes (570 women, 515 men) from 2012–2017 were examined retrospectively. SF values were compared to published normal population data. The proportion of athletes meeting criterion values for iron deficiency or initiation of treatment was examined. SF distributions in male athletes were significantly lower than normal males aged 20 to