ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Abnormally high serum ferritin levels among professional road cyclists

H Zotter¹, N Robinson¹, M Zorzoli², L Schattenberg², M Saugy¹ and P Mangin¹

¹ Laboratoire Suisse d’Analyse du Dopage, Institut Universitaire de Médecine Légale, Lausanne, Switzerland
² Union Cycliste Internationale, CH 1860 Aigle, Switzerland

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Harald Zotter
Institut Universitaire de Medicine Legale, Laboratoire Suisse d’Analyse du Dopage, 21 rue du Bugnon, Lausanne 1005, Switzerland; hzotter{at}hospvd.ch

Background: An international, longitudinal medical follow up examination of male professional road cyclists revealed excessively elevated serum ferritin levels.

Objective: To evaluate the importance of elevated ferritin values among professional cyclists, their relationship with age and nationality, and their evolution over 3 years.

Methods: Over 1000 serum ferritin values were collected. Other parameters were included in order to exclude conditions which might have increased ferritin levels without changing body iron stores.

Results: In 1999, over 45% of riders displayed ferritin values above 300 ng/ml and one fourth levels over 500 ng/ml. These percentages had decreased to 27% and 9%, respectively, 3 years later, while the overall average, which was above the normal limits in 1999, had decreased by 33% in 3 years. Older cyclists had higher ferritin values than younger cyclists. There was also a relationship between ferritin levels and the nationality of the cyclists. Analysis of 714 riders in 2000 and 2002 showed only a slight and insignificant decrease in the mean ferritin value although those with initially elevated iron stores had a much greater decrease.

Conclusion: Professional road cyclists used excessive iron supplementation leading to high serum ferritin levels correlating with increased body iron stores. Although the situation progressively improved over 3 years, it remains worrying as increased body iron stores are related to health complications. Therefore, prevention in addition to the fight against doping should be a main goal of the UCI. Aggressive therapy for athletes with excessive ferritin values should be carried out at or before the end of their careers.

Abbreviations: rhEPO, recombinant human erythropoietin; UCI, Union Cycliste Internationale

Keywords: cyclists; doping; erythropoietin; ferritin; iron

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This article has been cited by other articles:

• Robinson, N, Giraud, S, Saudan, C, Baume, N, Avois, L, Mangin, P, Saugy, M (2006). Erythropoietin and blood doping. Br. J. Sports. Med. 40: i30-i34 [Abstract] [Full Text]