title: Serum ferritin and tissue iron in anemic dialysis patients.
abstract: The relationship between serum ferritin and tissue iron was investigated in 26 dialysis patients (17 hemodialysis patients. 9 chronic peritoneal dialysis patients) with anemia (median hemoglobin 74 g/l, range 56-92 g/l). Serum ferritin ranged from 18 to 9,435 micrograms/l (median 450 micrograms/l). Tissue iron was assessed in the liver biopsies of 4 hemodialysis patients with iron overload (serum ferritin 1,150-9,435 micrograms/l), in the muscle biopsies of 5 patients with serum ferritin 170-9,435 micrograms/l, and in bone marrow aspirations (semiquantitative assessment). The mean liver iron concentration was 15.4 +/- 8.0 micrograms Fe/mg protein (mean +/- SD), which is similar to that previously found in patients with untreated idiopathic hemochromatosis. Four patients with serum ferritin 170-620 micrograms/l had muscle iron concentrations (0.33 +/- 0.10 microgram Fe/mg protein) similar to those found in controls (0.23 +/- 0.10, means +/- SD). One patient with serum ferritin 9,435 micrograms/l had a markedly increased muscle iron concentration (1.3 micrograms Fe/mg protein). The bone marrow iron was assessed as negative in 3 patients (serum ferritin 44-85 micrograms/l), positive in 8 (serum ferritin 18-379 micrograms/l), increased in 11 patients (serum ferritin 222-4,210 micrograms/l), and was markedly increased in 2 patients (serum ferritin 4,550 and 9,435 micrograms/l). Bone marrow iron correlated significantly with serum ferritin concentrations (spearman rank correlation coefficient rho = 0.89, p < 0.001). These results show that in dialysis patients with a stable iron balance and unstimulated erythropoiesis, i.e., patients without erythropoietin treatment and parenteral iron, serum ferritin is a useful indicator of iron stores. Our findings also suggest that the relationship between tissue iron and serum ferritin levels in end-stage renal disease is altered, i.e. a relative increase in serum ferritin levels unrelated to iron stores is observed in dialysis patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Science, Huddinge University Hospital, Sweden.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bárány
authors.forename: L C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Eriksson
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hultcrantz
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pettersson
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bergström
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000740:Anemia / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism*; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009132:Muscles / Q000378:metabolism; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D005293:Ferritins; D007501:Iron