Effect of penicillamine on serum iron.

Serum ferritin in juvenile chronic polyarthritis.

“…It is unlikely that the changes seen in serum ferritin were due to the drug treatment, as corticosteroids do not have any effect on iron in health (Mowat et al, 1969) and penicillamine has no significant effect on serum iron (Walshe and Patston, 1965) or iron excretion (W. Lyle, personal communication, 1976).…”

Red cell aplasia following prolonged D-penicillamine therapy.

“…However, the antipyridoxine activity of the drug is slight and does not appear to cause clinical signs of deficiency or anaemia. It has been shown that the chelating action of the drug does not influence the serum iron concentration (Walshe and Patston, 1965), although deficiency may develop as the result of variceal haemorrhage from portal hypertension or following haematuria from glomerulonephritis, which is a rare adverse reaction to D-penicillamine therapy (Sternlieb et al, 1975). Finally, patients on the drug may develop a lupus-like syndrome with positive tests for antinuclear factor and LE cells.…”