Elevated serum ferritin in the altered ferrokinetics of toxemia of pregnancy.

The serum concentration of ferritin in 11 patients with toxemia of pregnancy was compared to that of normal women in the early third trimester of pregnancy and in labor at term. The mean concentration of ferritin for toxemic patients was 91.8 ng/ml compared to 18.4 ng/ml and 19.4 ng/ml for the two control groups, respectively. The biochemical and physiologic features of ferritin are reviewed, and the relationship between iron and ferritin is discussed. Despite elevated serum levels of ferritin in toxemia, it is noted to be less reflective of the clinical course of the syndrome than serum ion.