title: Long-term Erythrocytapheresis Is Associated With Reduced Liver Iron Concentration in Sickle Cell Disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Erythrocytapheresis procedures are increasingly used in sickle cell disease. Serum ferritin and noninvasive magnetic resonance imaging measurements of liver iron concentration (LIC) are frequently used to monitor iron overload secondary to hypertransfusion. There is a paucity of data describing the impact of long-term erythrocytapheresis (LTE) on LIC.
  
  
  METHODS
  We measured magnetic resonance imaging liver and cardiac iron on LTE subjects and stratified them into 2 groups: higher LIC (>3 mg/g) and lower LIC (<3 mg/g). χ(2) and t test were used to test for differences between the 2 groups. Logistic regression and generalized linear mixed-effects models were used to test what impacted LIC.
  
  
  RESULTS
  None of 29 sickle cell disease subjects maintained on LTE had high cardiac iron concentration. LIC was associated with serum ferritin (r=0.697, P<0.001) but was not associated with the total number of LTE procedures (r=-0.088, P=0.656) or total number of simple transfusions (r=0.316, P=0.108). The total number of LTE procedures was not associated with serum ferritin (r=0.040, P=0.838), the total number of simple transfusions (r=-0.258, P=0.184), or LIC group (r=-0.111, P=0.566).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was no significant correlation between duration of LTE maintenance and LIC.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology †School of Medicine ‡Department of Pediatrics, Louisville, KY.
authors.forename: Scott N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Myers
authors.forename: Ryan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Eid
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Myers
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bertolone
authors.forename: Arun
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Panigrahi
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mullinax
authors.forename: Ashok B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Raj
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D016238:Cytapheresis / Q000379:methods*; D004912:Erythrocytes; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D019190:Iron Overload / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry*; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D005293:Ferritins