Molecular pathogenesis of anemia of chronic disease.
Most patients suffering from chronic infections, chronic inflammatory diseases, and some malignancies develop a mild to moderate anemia designated anemia of chronic disease or anemia of inflammation. Patients with this anemia have low serum iron, low to normal transferrin, and high to normal serum ferritin concentration. The anemia is caused by increased inflammatory cytokines, especially IL-6, inducing increased production of the iron-regulatory hormone hepcidin by hepatocytes. Hepcidin blocks the release of iron from macrophages, hepatocytes, and enterocytes, causing the characteristic hypoferremia associated with this anemia and iron-deprivation of the developing erythrocytes.
Ganz
Tomas
T
Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA. tganz@mednet.ucla.edu
D000740:Anemia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000378:metabolism; D002908:Chronic Disease; D064451:Hepcidins; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000378:metabolism; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood; D014168:Transferrin / Q000378:metabolism
D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; C578702:HAMP protein, human; D064451:Hepcidins; D015850:Interleukin-6; D014168:Transferrin; D007501:Iron