Concentrations of serum iron and transferrin in children with nephrotic syndrome / 中国当代儿科杂志

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Nephrotic syndrome (NS) is characterized by marked urinary excretion of albumin and other intermediated-size plasma proteins such as transferrin. The aim of this study was to determine the changes of serum iron and transferrin and the relationship between the serum and urinary transferrin.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The indexes related to iron metabolism, including serum iron, ferritin, transferrin, total iron-binding capacity, transferrin saturation and hematological parameters (Hb, MCV, MCH), and urinary transferrin were measured in 37 children with NS before treatment and at the remission stage. Thirty-five age-matched healthy children served as controls.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Serum iron levels (18.8 +/- 3.8 micromol/L) in NS patients before treatment were significantly lower than in the healthy controls (22.2 +/-3.8 micromol/L) and those measured at the remission stage (21.0 +/- 3.5 micromol/L) (P < 0.01). Serum transferrin levels in NS patients before therapy (1.9 +/- 0.3 g/L) also decreased compared with those in the healthy controls (3.1 +/- 0.5 g/L) and those measured at the remission stage (2.9 +/- 0.6 g/L) (P < 0.01). In contrast, serum total iron-binding capacity and transferrin saturation were noticeably higher in NS patients before treatment than those in the healthy controls (total iron-binding capacity 56.4 +/- 9.2 micromol/L vs 50.7 +/- 6.8 micromol, P < 0.01; transferrin saturation 55.7 +/- 9.2 % vs 46.4 +/- 8.2%, P < 0.01) and were also higher than those measured at the remission stage (51.9 +/-7.7 micromol/L and 47.4 +/- 13.3%) (P < 0.01). Serum transferrin positively correlated to serum albumin (r = 0.609, P < 0.01) and negatively correlated to urinary transferrin (r = -0.550, P < 0.01) in NS patients before treatment.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Serum iron and transferrin levels markedly decreased in NS patients, which may be partially related to the urinary loss of transferrin.</p>