Significance of ferritin in recurrent oral ulceration.

BACKGROUND: Ferritin is the storage form of iron. Hence, the sensitive test which can be used for diagnosing iron deficiency anaemia is estimation of ferritin in serum. One of the causative factors of oral ulceration is nutritional deficiency, which includes iron also. AIM: To study the meaningful association between recurrent oral ulcer and ferritin. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty oral ulcer cases which were diagnosed clinically in the ENT Department of Sree Balaji Medical College and Hospital and Twenty Five controls were included in this study. Serum ferritin was estimated by doing a particle enhanced turbidimetric immunoassay for both cases and controls. RESULTS: 66% of cases had decreased ferritin values and 34% had normal values, which was significant. CONCLUSION: From this study, it can be concluded that it is mandatory to screen oral ulcer patients for iron deficiency anaemia by estimating serum ferritin and it is also advisable for the patients to have iron supplementation on regular basis, along with diet rich in iron in addition to vitamins.

Hepcidin-minireview.

Iron related disorders are encountered in daily clinical settings. Maintenance of stable extracellular iron concentrations requires the coordinate regulation of iron transport into plasma from dietary sources in the duodenum, from recycled senescent red cells in macrophages and from storage in hepatocytes. Hepcidin acts as a systemic iron-regulatory hormone. Many human diseases are associated with alterations in hepcidin concentrations. This review has focused on hepcidin structure, kinetics and function, its correlation with iron metabolism disorders, the therapeutic potential for modulating hepcidin expression and the diagnostic potential of hepcidin measurements in clinical practice.

Blood Arsenic and Cadmium Concentrations in End-Stage Renal Disease Patients who were on Maintenance Haemodialysis.

BACKGROUND: In India, there is a rising burden of chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes. It has been estimated that 25-40% of these patients are likely to develop chronic kidney disease (CKD), with a significant percentage requiring renal replacement therapy. Haemodialysis is the most common method which is used to treat advanced and permanent kidney failure. Derangements in the metabolism of several toxic and trace elements such as antimony, arsenic cadmium, molybdenum, nickel, and selenium have been reported for several decades in patients with chronically reduced renal functions. Overall, the available literature suggests that the blood levels of some elements such as cadmium, chromium, fluorine, iodine, lead, or vanadium are high in end-stage renal disease (ESRD). AIM AND OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to study the levels of blood arsenic and cadmium in ESRD patients who were on maintenance haemodialysis (MHD), and to study whether there was any relationship between their concentrations and the duration of the MHD. METHODS: The blood lead levels were determined in 50 healthy subjects with normal renal functions and in 50 patients with ESRD, who were on MHD. None of them had any history of smoking or any industrial exposure. RESULTS: The results of the study revealed that the blood arsenic and cadmium concentrations were higher in the ESRD patients who were on MHD than in the healthy adults. The blood arsenic and cadmium concentrations were found to increase with the duration of the MHD. CONCLUSION: The mild increase in the blood arsenic and cadmium concentrations, with an increase in the duration of the MHD in the study population, may be viewed in the wider context, that a prolonged exposure to arsenic and cadmium, even at low levels, may result in renal damage and/or progression of an already existing CKD.