Relationship between Iron Saturation Indices and Psychiatric Disorders among Persons Seeking Care at Selected Psychiatry Health Facilities in Ghana

Aim: This study investigated the relationship between iron metabolism and psychiatric disorder and whether iron saturation indices could predict disease severity.

Study Design: The study was a case-control study.

Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted between December 2020 to March 2022 in some selected psychiatric facilities in Ghana.

Methodology: Venous blood was collected and serum iron, TIBC, ferritin, transferrin and full blood count were quantified to calculate intraindividual variation and to assess the relationships of these iron saturation indices to severity of psychiatric disorders.

Results: Serum iron (38.98±14.55 µmol/L), ferritin (100.23±84.98 ng/mL) and transferrin saturation (44.35±14.6%) were significantly (p<0.05) higher in group with psychiatric disorders compared with the controls (29.25±8.0 µmol/L; 75.25±42.71 ng/mL and 28.66±7.1%). However, total iron binding capacity (TIBC) (102.47±15.01 µmol/L), UIBC (73.22±13.12 µmol/L) and transferrin (4.08±0.6 g/L) concentrations were considerably greater in control group than in the case subjects (88.95±19.73 µmol/L; 49.97±18.32 µmol/L and 3.54±0.79 g/L). One unit increase in BMI is associated with 1.27 (aOR=1.27, p<0.001) times risk of psychiatric disorders and males are 6 (aOR=5.87, p<0.005) times at risk of disorders. At a cut off of ≤65.79 µmol/L, UIBC can distinguish psychiatric disorders from controls.

Conclusion: Serum iron and transferrin saturation appears to be good prognostic markers of diseases severity but serum iron at cut off of >35.23 µmol/L better classified individuals of severe form of psychiatric disorder.