Prognostic value of platelet counts in idiopathic sideroblastic anemia.

Any compendium of facts and factors that can weight or cast doubt on the quantitative significance of serum fernitin measurement as a measure of iron stores is not complete without mention of immunologic nonidentical isofernitins. Liven on spleen fernitin is used as the refenence standard and for the production of antibody, yet there is abundant evidence that the ferritin in serum is immunologically different. There is a growing body of evidence that the numbers from serum fernitin measurements probably do not represent true mass units of fenritin protein.8 0 Rather, they reflect the quantity oforgan fennitin “equivalents” present in the specimen. An example of the immunologic dissimilarities between liven and serum fennitin is provided in our letter on the hook effect. With progressive dilution of hyperferritinemic sena, the apparent serum fennitin concentration becomes greater (for example. patient iC. at dilutions of 1:8 and 1:64 gave dilution-adjusted values of. respectively, I 200