With regards to the presence of iron granules in plasma cells.

We report on the occasional presence of iron granules in plasma cells in two male patients respectively 64 and 71 years old, both with excessive drinking habits. One patient also had liver cirrhosis. In both patients the bone-marrow biopsy showed a macrocytic anemia without megaloblasts. We refer the morphologic data because the cases reported are not many and the presence of iron granules in plasma cells was a curious and rare aspect. The most important feature appearing from the data issued is the gap concerning both the source and mechanism that cause this phenomenon. Some investigations have suggested that the plasma cell iron is located in mitochondria, others have noted that iron granules were located between the Golgi region and the rough endoplasmic reticulum. Moreover, the morphologic data are not related to the number of plasma cells in the bone-marrow and there is no causal relation between alcoholic abuse and plasma cell iron. The first problem is common, the second is rare.