Table 1.
Participant characteristics on enrolment.
| Characteristic | ID Group (n = 13) | IR Group (n = 13) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sex, M:F | 1:12 | 1:12 | |
| Age, years | 23 (21.5–38) | 24 (22–25.5) | 0.59 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 21.8 (20.8–24.1) | 21.1 (20.7–24.1) | 1.0 |
| Resting Spo2, % | 98.8 ± 0.9 | 98.5 ± 1.1 | 0.45 |
| Systolic BP, mmHg | 119 ± 11 | 119 ± 9 | 0.99 |
| Diastolic BP, mmHg | 73 ± 10 | 79 ± 8 | 0.08 |
| FEV1, % predicted | 106 ± 12 | 104 ± 9 | 0.75 |
| Exercise, h/week | 5.0 (2.0–7.5) | 4.0 (1.0–8.5) | 0.70 |
| Plasma CRP, mg/L | 0.4 (0.3–2.6) | 0.5 (0.3–1.6) | 0.96 |
| Serum ferritin, μg/L | 8.3 ± 3.1 | 58.0 ± 38.2 | N/A |
| Serum TSat, % | 10.6 ± 3.9 | 35.2 ± 7.6 | N/A |
| Serum iron, μmol/L | 8.4 ± 3.2 | 22.0 ± 3.6 | < 0.001 |
| Serum transferrin, g/L | 3.6 ± 0.6 | 2.9 ± 0.5 | 0.003 |
| Plasma sTfR, nmol/L | 38.4 (32.7–50.9) | 21.8 (18.4–25.0) | < 0.001 |
| Plasma hepcidin, μg/L | 2.0 (1.3–2.4) | 13.9 (9.9–29.5) | < 0.001 |
| Haemoglobin, g/dl | 12.7 (11.5–13.3) | 13.6 (13.5–14.0) | < 0.001 |
| Haematocrit, % | 39.7 ± 3.2 | 42.0 ± 1.7 | 0.028 |
| Mean cell volume, fl | 86.9 (83.0–91.3) | 92.4 (89.9–94.1) | 0.010 |
For normally distributed data, comparisons are by t-test and values are means ± SD. For non-normally distributed data, comparisons are by Mann Whitney U test and values are medians (IQR). Statistically significant P-values appear in bold. ID, iron deficient; IR, iron replete; BMI, body mass index; Spo2, peripheral oxyhaemoglobin saturation; FEV1, forced expiratory volume in one second; CRP, C-reactive protein; TSat, transferrin saturation; sTfR, soluble transferrin receptor.