ON THE PRESENCE OF FERRITIN IN THE PERIPHERAL BLOOD OF PATIENTS WITH HEPATOCELLULAR DISEASE

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Abstract
Since serum iron levels are elevated in acute hepatocellular disease, serum of 112 human patients was examined for the presence of ferritin by precipitation of ferritin by anti-ferritin rabbit serum and determination of ferritin iron in the precipitate. Circulating ferritin iron was found in concentrations from 25 to 863 [mu]g % in about half of the patients with acute infectious or toxic hepatitis. Marked fer-ritinemia was found in each of 6 patients with Hodgkin''s disease involving the liver. No ferritin was found in hepatic cirrhosis, in patients with elevated serum iron levels caused by other than hepatocellular disease, in Hodgkin''s disease not involving the liver, in sarcoidosis or carcinomatosis of the liver. Apparently the ferritin in the peripheral blood is the ferritin released from disintegrating liver cellls. No obnoxious vascular or antidiuretic Effect of the circulating ferritin was observed.