The DOI matches its Crossref record; 5 of the 5 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 17 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.
Prevalence of iron deficiency in adolescent high performance sports
Open accessAbstract
In children, 90% of all anemia cases are due to iron deficiency. Iron is an essential element so iron metabolism disorders have negative consequences for health. Currently, there are no reliable statistical data on the prevalence of iron deficiency in elite young athletes in the Russian Federation (RF). The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and latent iron deficiency (LID) in young elite athletes. We retrospectively analyzed 802 outpatient records of members of the Russian national sport teams aged 13–18 (mean age is 15.4 ± 2.1 years; 434 (54.1%) girls, 368 (45.9%) boys) in 17 sports, who underwent indepth medical examination including clinical blood tests and serum iron level assays. IDA was diagnosed in 43 young elite athletes (5.4% of all examined athletes). The prevalence of IDA in female adolescents was significantly higher than in male adolescents (8.9% and 1.1%, respectively; p = 0.0001). The prevalence of LID in game sports was significantly higher compared to the other sports. LID was recorded in 186 athletes (23.2%). LID was less common in cyclic sports and was not gender dependent. It can be concluded that young elite athletes have a moderate prevalence of IDA (> 5%). However, since LID was diagnosed in 20% of the athletes, it may be necessary to perform thorough examination for timely screening and correction of iron deficiency in adolescent high performance sports.
Overview
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TL;DR
This retrospective single-center study assessed the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and latent iron deficiency (LID) among 802 elite Russian adolescent athletes aged 13–18. IDA was found in 5.4% and LID in 23.1% of athletes, with IDA significantly more common in girls while LID showed no gender difference.
Key findings
- Among 802 young high-performance athletes (368 boys [45.9%], 434 girls [54.1%]; mean age 15.4 ± 2.1 years; 17 sports), IDA was diagnosed in 43 athletes, or 5.4% of those examined.
- IDA was significantly more frequent in girls than boys (8.9% vs 1.1%; p = 0.0001), and its prevalence in game sports was statistically significantly higher than in other sport groups.
- LID was diagnosed in 186 athletes, or 23.1% of all examined, and was least common in cyclic sports. No gender difference was found for LID (20.9% in boys vs 25.2% in girls; p = 0.237).
- No adverse events were recorded during the study.
Methods
- Design: retrospective, single-center, uncontrolled study of adolescent athletes from Russian national teams who underwent comprehensive medical examination at the FNKC for Children and Adolescents, FMBA of Russia, between 2019 and 2022. Inclusion criteria: age under 18 and no iron therapy in the three months before the study; exclusion criterion: chronic blood diseases.
- Data: a single complete blood count (Sysmex XN-350, Sysmex, Japan) for hemoglobin and a biochemistry panel (Indiko Plus, Thermo Fisher Scientific, USA) for serum iron were performed on all athletes. Participants were divided into six subgroups by competitive/training type: game, cyclic, complex-coordination, speed-strength, martial arts, and multi-event sports.
- Diagnostic thresholds: IDA was defined as hemoglobin <120 g/L for girls and <130 g/L for boys combined with serum iron <10.7 µmol/L; LID was defined as serum iron <10.7 µmol/L alone.
Limitations
- The paper does not include a dedicated limitations section; it states only that further research is needed to develop methods for correcting sideropenic conditions in young athletes.
- Evident from the text: the study is retrospective, single-center, and uncontrolled (no control group), and iron status was assessed from a single one-time measurement of hemoglobin and serum iron, without ferritin or other iron-store markers, so the LID definition rests on serum iron alone.
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Claims the paper makes
0 Valid · 0 Not valid · 15 Not checked · 11 Own results and interpretations
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Не выявлено гендерных различий в распространенности ЛДЖ у юных высококвалифицированных спортсменов (20,9% у мальчиков по сравнению с 25,2% у девочек; р = 0,237).”
§ Родители/опекуны или законные представители спортсменов подписали > МАТЕРИАЛЫ И МЕТОДЫ
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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A result the paper states — it cites no source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Реже ЛДЖ встречается у представителей циклических видов спорта.”
§ Родители/опекуны или законные представители спортсменов подписали > МАТЕРИАЛЫ И МЕТОДЫ
plainstates an association- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Распространенность ЖДА в игровых видах спорта статистически была достоверно выше по сравнению с другими группами спорта (таблица).”
§ Родители/опекуны или законные представители спортсменов подписали > МАТЕРИАЛЫ И МЕТОДЫ
plainstates an association- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Частота выявления ЖДА у девочек оказалась выше, чем у мальчиков (8,9% и 1,1% соответственно; р = 0,0001).”
§ Родители/опекуны или законные представители спортсменов подписали > МАТЕРИАЛЫ И МЕТОДЫ
plainstates an association- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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In the paper
“Проведенное исследование свидетельствует о высокой распространенности ЛДЖ у юных высококвалифицированных спортсменов независимо от пола.”
§ Родители/опекуны или законные представители спортсменов подписали > МАТЕРИАЛЫ И МЕТОДЫ
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Citations
Cites
Iron considerations for the athlete: a narrative review
Sim, M., Garvican-Lewis, L. A., Cox, G. R., Govus, A., McKay, A. K. A., Stellingwerff, T., & Peeling, P. (2019) · European Journal of Applied Physiology · doi:10.1007/s00421-019-04157-y · Cited by 274
Burden, R. J., Morton, K., Richards, T., Whyte, G. P., & Pedlar, C. R. (2015) · British Journal of Sports Medicine · doi:10.1136/bjsports-2014-093624 · Cited by 125
on behalf of the SPOG Pediatric Hematology Working Group, Mattiello, V., Schmugge, M., Hengartner, H., von der Weid, N., & Renella, R. (2020) · European Journal of Pediatrics · doi:10.1007/s00431-020-03597-5 · Cited by 119
Refining Treatment Strategies for Iron Deficient Athletes
McCormick, R., Sim, M., DAWSON, B. T., & Peeling, P. (2020) · Sports Medicine · doi:10.1007/s40279-020-01360-2 · Cited by 70
PROPHYLAXIS OF VITAMIN AND MINERAL DEFICITS IN CHILDREN
Стенникова, О. В., Levchuk, L. V., & Санникова, Н. Е. (2012) · Вопросы современной педиатрии · doi:10.15690/vsp.v11i1.133 · Cited by 4
Research works printed but not linked: 4
- Vasileva EV, Aslanjan KS, Piskunova SG. Zhelezodeficitnaja anemija u detej: sovremennyj vzgljad gematologa. Glavnyj vrach Juga Rossii. 2017; 3 (56): 6–10. Russian.
- Mozgovaja EV. Prokopenko VM, Oparina TI, Novikova TD. Ocenka klinicheskoj jeffektivnosti vitaminno-mineral'nogo kompleksa dlja profilaktiki oslozhnenij beremennosti. Akusherstvo i ginekologija. 2011; 4: 89–94. Russian.
- Tarasova IS, Chernov VM. Latentnyj deficit zheleza u detej i podrostkov: sostojanie problemy i perspektivy razvitija. Pediatricheskij vestnik Juzhnogo Urala. 2020; 2: 24–35. Russian.
- Zaharova IN, Tarasova IS, Vasileva TM, Borovik TYe, Zvonkova NG, Machneva EB, i dr. Latentnyj deficit zheleza u detej i podrostkov: diagnostika i korrekcija. Lechenie i profilaktika. 2018; 8 (1): 69–75. Russian.
Cited by
Haimi, M., & Rosental, H. H. (2026) · Frontiers in Medicine · doi:10.3389/fmed.2026.1981693
Metadata
- Authors
- Isaeva, E., Okorokov, P., & Zyabkin, IV
- Affiliations
- Federal Medical-Biological Agency (RU)
- Federal Research and Clinical Center for Children and Adolescents of the Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
- ORCID
- Zyabkin, IV
- Venue
- Medicine of Extreme Situations
- Publisher
- Federal Medical Biological Agency
- Published
- 2024-06
- Issue
- 2024(2)
- OpenAlex
- W4400801824
- Semantic Scholar
- 61e07b38d883a155d07b0bd423c6c12aec922544
- Cited by
- 1
- References
- 5
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1
- FWCI
- 0.28
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- ru
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- Medicine of Extreme Situations (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- CyberLeninK (CyberLeninka) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Hematology › Iron Metabolism and Disorders
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Cardiovascular Effects of Exercise
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Human Health and Disease
- Keywords
- iron deficiency anemia, latent iron deficiency, youth athletes, elite youth sport, prevalence, sex differences, sport type, serum iron, iron metabolism
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