Relation between bone marrow hemosiderin iron, serum iron status markers, and chemical and histochemical liver iron content in 82 patients with alcoholic and nonalcoholic hepatic disease.

Bone marrow hemosiderin iron was assessed in 48 patients with alcoholic, and in 34 patients with nonalcoholic liver disease (53 men, 29 women, median age 55 years, range 18-84) and correlated to serum (S)-iron status markers (iron, transferrin, ferritin), as well as to histochemical hepatocyte iron and chemical liver iron content. In a control group of 53 healthy subjects (23 men, 30 women, median age 28 years, range 18-90) marrow hemosiderin iron and iron status markers were evaluated as well. Among liver patients, the marrow iron grade was higher in men than in women (p = 0.03). Correlations were found between marrow iron and histochemical liver iron (rho = 0.38, p = 0.0001) as well as chemical liver iron (rho = 0.33, p = 0.01). Marrow iron was correlated to S-ferritin (rho = 0.53, p = 0.0001), mean red cell volume (rho = 0.34, p = 0.003), and S-transferrin (rho = -0.24, p = 0.02). Alcoholics had a higher marrow iron grade than nonalcoholics (p = 0.001) and controls (p = 0.0001). Among controls, the marrow iron grade was likewise higher in men than in women (p = 0.01). Correlations were found between marrow iron and ferritin (rho = 0.64, p = 0.0001), transferrin saturation (rho = 0.56, p = 0.001), transferrin (rho = 0.53, p = 0.001), S-iron (rho = 0.37, p = 0.01), and hemoglobin in women (rho = 0.38, p = 0.05). The results indicate that alcoholics either have increased marrow hemosiderin iron stores, or display a redistribution of iron in reticuloendothelial cells from soluble ferritin-bound iron to insoluble hemosiderin iron. Among patients with absent marrow hemosiderin iron, 81% had absent hepatocyte hemosiderin iron as well. Among patients with absent hepatocyte hemosiderin iron, 23% had absent and 77% normal or increased marrow hemosiderin iron. Therefore, in patients with iron depletion, assessment of marrow hemosiderin iron yields more relevant information of iron status than assessment of hepatocyte hemosiderin iron.