Iron metabolism in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

Background. The most common haematological manifestation in RA is anaemia (30-60%). The aim of the study was the assessment of the prevalence of iron deficiency in RA patients using standard parameters and new biomarkers.Material and methods. The study was conducted on 62 RA patients, aged 52±15, treated at the Department of Internal Medicine of the 4th Military Teaching Hospital in Wrocław between 2016 and 2017. The control group comprised 58 healthy individuals, aged 56±9. The following tests were carried out: DAS-28, complete blood count, creatinine, uric acid, AspAT, ALAT, GGT, bilirubin, TSH, lipid profile, iron, TIBC, transferrin saturation, ferritin, soluble transferrin receptor, hepcidin, and IL-6.Results. A higher percentage of RA patients compared with the control group had TSAT values below 20%, ferritin levels below the reference range, soluble transferrin receptor levels above 1.59mg/l and hepcidin levels below 14.5 ng/ml. 60% of RA patients had iron deficiency. The correlations between reduced ferritin levels and younger age, female gender, lower GGT levels and increased platelet counts was shown. The correlations were found between iron deficiency and younger age, female gender, reduced haemoglobin levels, increased platelet counts, increased GFR, reduced GGT levels, lower disease activity and less frequent use of sulfasalazineConclusions. Iron deficiency is common in RA patients with high disease activity. RA patients had lower transferrin saturation, lower ferritin and hepcidin levels and higher serum sTfR levels. The increased DAS-28 scores and reduced haemoglobin levels were the two strongest determinants of iron deficiency in RA patients.

Plateletcrit is a Useful Marker in the Quality of Life Assessment of Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Cross-Sectional Study from Erbil, Iraq

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Ferroptosis in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Potential Therapeutic Strategy

“…However, none of the controls with normal synovia had iron deposition. Another study found that the iron metabolism is different in RA than in general health (35). It is worth noting that iron deficiency is common (64%) in RA patients with high disease activity.…”

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“…In 1968, research findings had already illuminated a substantial elevation in iron content within the synovial tissue of individuals grappling with RA ( Senator and Muirden, 1968 ) More recently, scientific inquiries have unveiled a nuanced interplay involving the altered expression of iron-binding protein ferritin and diminished saturation of transferrin within the blood of RA patients ( Tański et al, 2021 ). In consequence, discernibly diminished iron levels stand in contrast to those found in the control group.…”