Bone marrow iron stores and serum ferritin

Abstract

Ferritin is an intracellular iron storage protein found mainly in the cytosol of the cells of the reticuloendothelial system. The introduction of sensitive immunoradiometric methods for detecting ferritin has made possible its quantitation in the serum. Serum ferritin is known to correlate well with body iron stores in healthy subjects and subjects with iron deficiency and iron overload. Serum ferritin levels inappropriate to the amount of body iron stores have been reported in subjects with liver disease, malignancy and many other chronic disorders. Total body iron stores are traditionally assessed by cytochemical examination of the bone marrow. However, this method may not be convenient and is sometimes refused by the patient. In contrast serum ferritin is simple, sensitive and reliable. In our present study, we have determined concomitantly the serum ferritin and bone marrow iron stores in a mixed hospital population. The results suggest a correlation between serum ferritin and the bone marrow iron stores. The possibility of using serum ferritin to predict the status of body stores in a mixed hospital population will be discussed.