[Iron metabolism: pathophysiology and biomarkers in elderly population].

Iron deficiency is frequent in elderly population and is responsable for numerous clinical situations. Because of the frequent association of inflammatory diseases, chronic diseases associated with iron loss, diagnosis of iron deficiency is often difficult in elderly population. For the last ten years, new biomarkers of iron physiology lead to better understand physiology and pathophysiology of iron metabolism particularly in iron deficiency. This overview aims to show modifications of iron metabolism with ageing, pathophysiological mecanisms associated with iron deficiency and give a stratification of the use of biomarkers as diagnostic tools differentiating absolute deficiency or functional deficeincy.