Study the Effect of Celiac Disease on Serum Ferritin Level in Adults Patients of Basrah City

BACKGROUND: Celiac disease (CD) is a gluten-induced immune enteropathy associated with impaired nutrient absorption, particularly iron deficiency, leading to hematological abnormalities such as iron-deficiency anemia. AIMS OF THE STUDY: The current study was designed to assess the effect of CD on the level of serum ferritin (SF) and hematological parameters in adult patients in Basrah and to determine the relationship between the two and the level of tissue transglutaminase (TTG) antibody and the Marsh histopathological grading. METHODOLOGY: This is an observational, analytical, and crosssectional study that included 53 adult patients diagnosed with CD at Basrah from October 2021 to March 2022. TTG immunoassay and histopathology, as demonstrated by duodenal biopsy by the Marsh classification, were used to make the diagnosis. Venous blood was drawn to determine mean corpuscular volume (MCV), SF, and hemoglobin (Hb) concentration. ANOVA and Pearson correlation was used for the statistical analysis in IBM SPSS Statistics. P <0.05 was deemed to be statistically significant. RESULTS: The studied patients were found to have decreased Hb levels, MCV, and SF levels, which reflects the predominance of microcytic iron-deficiency anemia in CD. There was no significant association between age, body weight, and most of the laboratory parameters ( P > 0.05). There was a significant negative correlation between gender and SF level ( P = 0.020) and TTG antibody ( P = 0.015). Furthermore, there was a positive significant correlation between the Hb and MCV ( r = 0.765, P < 0.001), but there was no significant correlation between the other laboratory parameters and the histopathological grading of Marsh ( P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Due to impaired intestinal absorption, people with CD often have low levels of ferritin in their blood and microcytic anemia. Thus, ferritin and hematological indices should be used for the early detection and treatment of iron deficiency and its consequences.