PMID: 9550556Apr 29, 1998Paper

Serum transferrin receptors are decreased in the presence of iron overload

Clinical Chemistry
H KhumaloInnocent Gangaidzo

Abstract

To test the hypothesis that the quantities of circulating transferrin receptors are reduced in iron overload, we studied serum transferrin receptors and indirect measures of iron status in 150 subjects from rural Zimbabwe. We found significant inverse correlations between serum concentrations of transferrin receptors and ferritin, the ratio of ferritin to aspartate aminotransferase, and transferrin saturation (r > or = 0.44; P < 0.001). The mean +/- SD concentration of serum transferrin receptors in 23 subjects classified as having iron overload (ferritin > 300 microg/L and transferrin saturation > 60%) was 1.55 +/- 0.61 mg/L, significantly lower than the 2.50 +/- 0.62 mg/L in 75 subjects with normal iron stores (ferritin 20-300 microg/L and transferrin saturation 15-55%; P < 0.0005) and the 2.83 +/- 1.14 mg/L in 8 subjects with iron deficiency (ferritin < 20 microg/L; P = 0.001). In keeping with the regulation of transferrin receptor expression at the cellular level, our findings suggest that serum transferrin receptors are decreased in the presence of iron overload.

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Anemia

Anemia develops when your blood lacks enough healthy red blood cells. Anemia of inflammation (AI, also called anemia of chronic disease) is a common, typically normocytic, normochromic anemia that is caused by an underlying inflammatory disease. Here is the latest research on anemia.