Iron metabolism in inflammation.

Alteration in iron metabolism is one of the proposed mechanisms underlying the anaemia of inflammation and chronic disease, the most common disorder in hospitalized patients. Iron metabolism parameters in inflammatory disease are characterized by blockage of tissue iron release, decreased serum iron and total iron binding capacity and an elevated serum ferritin level, reflecting augmented ferritin synthesis as part of the acute-phase response. The altered iron metabolism in inflammation is proposed to be a part of the host defence mechanism against invading pathogens and tumor cells and is suggested to be mediated by inflammatory cytokines and NO.