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Non‐Specific Iron in Patients with Beta‐Thalassaemia Trait and Chronic Active Hepatitis
Author(s) -
Fargion Silvia,
Cappellini M. Domenica,
Sampietro Maurizio,
Fiorelli Gemino
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of haematology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1600-0609
pISSN - 0036-553X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0609.1981.tb01641.x
Subject(s) - siderosis , transferrin , toxicity , transferrin saturation , hepatitis , medicine , ferritin , gastroenterology , serum iron , immunology , anemia , physiology , iron deficiency
A non‐specific iron fraction, not bound to transferrin, has been looked for in the sera of 42 never‐transfused patients with beta‐thalassaemia trait, 17 of whom had chronic active hepatitis, negative for HBV infection or alcohol abuse. Non‐specific iron was found only in the sera of those patients with beta‐thalassaemia trait plus chronic active hepatitis who had complete transferrin saturation, high serum ferritin levels and urinary iron excretion and a high degree of hepatic siderosis. In view of the known toxicity of non‐transferrin iron, we suggest that this non‐transferrin iron fraction may be responsible for the liver damage in these patients. Furthermore, the positive correlation between the presence and the amount of non‐transferrin iron and the levels of serum ferritin suggests that this fraction is a sensitive indicator of iron‐induced toxicity when severe iron overload slowly develops in patients with beta‐thalassaemia trait even in the absence of any iron administration.