Circulating microRNAs and hepcidin as predictors of iron homeostasis and anemia among school children: a biochemical and cross-sectional survey analysis

Table 1 Baseline of clinical and laboratory characteristics for adolescents based on iron scores (n = 350; mean ± SD)

Variables	Iron status				P-value
Variables	N I group (n = 250)	ID group (n = 50)^a	IDA group (n = 20)^b	IO group (n = 30)^c	P-value
Age	14.6 ± 1.5	14.2 ± 1.7	14.1 ± 1.5	14.3 ± 1.8	0.123
Gender (boys/girls)	170/80	20/30	5/15	5/25	–
BMI	21.4 ± 3.6	24.2 ± 3.4	24.6 ± 2.1	27.1 ± 5.3	0.001
WHtR	0.41 ± 0.07	0.74 ± 0.09	0.78 ± 0.12	0.96 ± 0.12	0.001
Diet score	22.8 ± 2.3	26.7 ± 2.9	26.7 ± 2.9	31.8 ± 3.1	0.001
MVPA (%)	71.4	22.8	19.8	18.9	0.001
Blood pressure (%) Normotensive Pre-hypertensive Hypertensive	250 (100%) 0 0	30 (60%) 12 (24%) 8 (16%)	9 (45%) 10 (50%) 1 (5%)	16 (53.3% 8 (26.7%) 6 (20%)	0.003
FBG (mmol/L)	4.1 ± 0.3	4.3 ± 0.65	4.5 ± 0.94	4.8 ± 1.3	0.01
HbA1c	2.9 ± 1.6	3.1 ± 2.6	3.4 ± 2.7	3.9 ± 2.5	0.01

All values were reported as mean ± SD or median (interquartile range) or percentage. Significance was calculated by ANOVA followed by Student- Newman-Keul’s (SNK) post hoc pairwise comparison for age and metabolic parameters, or Chi-square test for residence and physical activity. ^a, ^b, and ^c refer to the difference between the study groups after pairwise comparison. Variables were considered significantly different at P < 0.05
NI: normal iron (iron conc.;75–175 μg/dl); ID: iron deficiency (iron conc.; < 75 μg/dl l); IDA: iron deficiency anemia (iron conc.; < 75 μg/dl l; hemoglobin < 120 g/L, and ferritin < 15 μg/L); IO: iron overload (iron conc.; ˃ 175 μg/dl) FBG: fasting blood sugar, HbA1C: glycated hemoglobin A1c; BMI, body mass index; WHtR, waist to height ratio; MVPA: Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity

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