Total and Cause-Specific Mortality by Moderately and Markedly Increased Ferritin Concentrations: General Population Study and Metaanalysis

plasma ferritin concentration have not revealed a rela-tionship with total mortality. We tested the possible association of increased ferritin concentrations with increased risk of total and cause-specific mortality in the general population. METHODS: We examined total and cause-specific mortal-ity according to baseline plasma ferritin concentrations in a Danish population–based study (the Copenhagen City Heart Study) of 8988 individuals, 6364 of whom died (median follow-up 23 years). We also included a meta-analysis of total mortality comprising population-based studies according to ferritin quartiles or tertiles