| Abstract: | Iron metabolites were measured in liver homogenates and leukocytes of patients with hereditary hemochromatosis (HHC), chronic viral hepatitis, and secondary iron overloading. Iron and ferritin levels in the liver are increased HHC, while in hepatitis only ferritin level is increased. In the leukocytes ferritin concentrations are increased both in HHC and secondary iron loading and less so in viral hepatitis. The leukocytic ferritin level decreased after a course of bleeding sessions and during maintenance therapy for HHC, which can serve as a diagnostically significant sign for evaluating the treatment efficiency. |
