Effects of Smoking on Serum Ferritin levels in adult population living in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq: A Retrospective Cross-sectional Study

Background: Smoking is a serious issue for global public health, and the prevalence of smoking use is the leading cause of early mortality globally. Serum ferritin, an intracellular protein that stores and releases iron, is considered one of the most important clinical biomarkers to assess iron status. Aim: The current study aims to examines the effect of smoking on serum ferritin levels of adult populations in Sulaymaniyah. Methods: The study was conducted on 80 smokers and 20 non-smokers, totally 100 persons. Their ages ranged from 18 to 65 years. Results: Result showed that the majority of smokers had elevated ferritin levels. A p-value of less than 0.05 indicated a significant difference in ferritin levels between smokers and non-smokers groups. The average ferritin level among smoker group was 227.40 mg/L, while the average ferritin level among non-smokers group was 118.3 mg/L. Regarding the associated between age groups and average ferritin levels, the average ferritin level is highest in the age groups between 51-61 years old. In addition, obesity may play a role in raising ferritin levels, people with obese conditions (BMI > 30) have the highest average ferritin levels than others. Conclusion: This study provides evidence that smoking negatively affect serum ferritin levels, since increases in mean ferritin levels are very striking in smoking and obese group.