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Serum Ferritin in β‐Thalassaemia Intermedia
Author(s) -
Buonanno G.,
Valente A.,
Gonnella F.,
Cantore N.,
Bellis G.
Publication year - 1984
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.1600-0609.1984.tb00681.x
Subject(s) - ferritin , serum ferritin , liver biopsy , gastroenterology , intermedia , liver disease , medicine , disease , pathology , physiology , biopsy , art , performance art , art history
The iron status of 10 patients with β‐thalassaemia intermedia has been investigated in order to assess whether the liver iron overload could be constantly predicted through the patients' S‐ferritin levels. Our data have shown that only when the iron overload is in the far advanced stages do the S‐ferritin concentrations appear to be strongly raised, whilst in the early stages of the disease the levels fall to normal ranges with consequent underestimation of the expanding iron stores. Thus, in the early stages of the iron overload the liver iron burden of such patients is only reflected by both chemical and histochemical investigations performed on the liver biopsy specimens long before the rise in their S‐ferritin levels.