Malaria Exacerbates Inflammation-Associated Elevation in Ferritin and Soluble Transferrin Receptor with Only Modest Effects on Iron Deficiency and Iron Deficiency Anaemia among Rural Zambian Children

This study evaluated the effects of adjusting prevalence of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) for inflammation alone versus inflammation and malaria during low and high malaria transmission seasons. Venous blood samples were collected from Zambian children during the low malaria and high malaria seasons, respectively. Researchers found that, at a population-level, correcting for malaria and inflammation accounted for statistically significant changes in the estimated prevalence of iron deficiency and IDA, suggesting that by adjusting for both factors, the reliability of iron deficiency and IDA prevalence estimates within and across malaria seasons can be improved.