title: Is serum transferrin receptor useful for detecting iron-deficiency in anaemic patients with chronic inflammatory diseases?
abstract: We investigated whether determination of serum transferrin receptor (TfR) is useful for detecting iron-deficiency in patients with chronic inflammatory diseases and for differentiating between iron-deficiency anaemia and anaemia of inflammation. Using an immunofluorometric assay, serum TfR was measured in 34 anaemic patients. Of these patients, 23 had a chronic rheumatic disease, 13 with both inflammation and iron-deficiency and 10 with anaemia of inflammation only; the other 11 patients had iron-deficiency anaemia and no evidence of inflammation. Serum TfR concentrations were lower in patients with anaemia of inflammation (2.6 +/- 0.2 mg/l, mean +/- S.E.M.) than in patients with iron-deficiency anaemia (6.7 +/- 1.1 mg/l, P < 0.01) or those with both inflammation and iron deficiency (5.8 +/- 1.0 mg/l, P < 0.01). Among patients with inflammatory disease, correlations between TfR and ferritin concentrations (r = -0.62, P < 0.05) and TfR and erythropoietin concentrations (r = 0.69, P < 0.001) were observed in iron-deficient subjects only. TfR, though not superior to serum ferritin, can help to distinguish between anaemia of inflammation and iron-deficiency anaemia and to identify iron-deficiency in subjects with chronic inflammation.
authors.affiliation: Fourth Department of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pettersson
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Kivivuori
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Siimes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000747:Anemia, Hypochromic / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004909:Erythrocyte Indices; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood; D015200:Fluoroimmunoassay; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011990:Receptors, Transferrin / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D011990:Receptors, Transferrin; D004921:Erythropoietin; D005293:Ferritins