[Reference values of the ferritin concentration in the serum in children].
Concentrations of ferritin were determined using the luminescence enhanced enzyme immunoassay method in serum of 272 (male = 148, female = 124) "healthy" children. The ferritin concentration in children is age dependent. The newborn values (140.1-673.8 micrograms/l, 95% confidence interval) decrease until the end of the first year and stabilize thereafter in a sex specific fashion: male means = 31.90 micrograms/l (95% confidence interval: 14.0-72.2 micrograms/l), female means = 39.23 micrograms/l (95% confidence interval: 16.1-79.9 micrograms/l).