Iron status in Still's disease

Ferritin in adult-onset still's disease: just a useful innocent bystander?

Background. Adult-Onset Still's Disease (AOSD) is an immune-mediated systemic disease with quotidian-spiking fever, rash, and inflammatory arthritis. Hyperferritinemia is a prominent feature, often used for screening. Methods. The key terms “ferritin” and “hyperferritinemia” were used to search PubMed and Medline and were cross-referenced with “Still's Disease.” Results. Hyperferritinemia, although nonspecific, is particularly prevalent in AOSD. While most clinicians associate ferritin with iron metabolism, this is mostly true for the H isoform and not for the L isoform that tends to increase dramatically in hyperferritenemia. In these situations, hyperferritinemia is not associated with iron metabolism and may even mask an underlying iron deficiency. We review, in systematic fashion, the current basic science and clinical literature regarding the regulation of ferritin and its use in the diagnosis and management of AOSD. Conclusion. Serum hyperferritinemia in AOSD has been described for 2 decades, although its mechanism has not yet been completely elucidated. Regulation by proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-1b, IL-6, IL-18, MCSF, and INF-α provides a link to the disease pathogenesis and may explain rapid resolution of hyperferritinemia after targeted treatment and inhibition of key cytokines.

Elevated serum caeruloplasmin level in a patient with adult Still's disease

We report the case of a woman with a characteristic transient skin rash, fever, severe polyarthritis, hepatosplenomegaly, lymphadenopathy and myalgia. The clinical and laboratory data led to a diagnosis of adult-onset Still's disease. The elevated levels of serum ferritin and caeruloplasmin could be important as diagnostic indicators.

Safety and efficacy of iron sucrose in patients sensitive to iron dextran: North American clinical trial

Sensitivity to iron dextran is a potent obstacle to maintaining optimum iron status in patients with dialysis-associated anemia. As part of the North American clinical trials for iron sucrose injection, we examined the effect of intravenous (IV) iron sucrose in 23 hemodialysis patients with documented sensitivity to iron dextran, ongoing epoetin alfa therapy, and below-target-range hemoglobin (Hgb) levels (<11.0 g/dL). We assigned patients to treatment groups according to whether reactions they had experienced to iron dextran were judged to be mild (n = 16; group A) or severe (n = 7; group B). We prospectively examined adverse events and vital signs after administering 100 mg of IV iron sucrose in each of 10 consecutive dialysis treatment sessions and compared results with those recorded in each of three consecutive dialysis sessions without iron treatment. We administered iron sucrose by IV push over 5 minutes to group A patients and by IV push over 5 minutes or IV infusion over 15 to 30 minutes to group B patients. We did not administer a test dose. Results showed no serious adverse drug reactions after a total of 223 doses of iron sucrose (184 doses by IV push, 39 doses by IV infusion). Intradialytic blood pressure changes after IV iron sucrose injection did not differ from those recorded during dialysis sessions without treatment. An increase in values for Hgb, hematocrit, transferrin saturation, and ferritin, coupled with no significant change in epoetin dose and a decrease in total iron-binding capacity, confirmed the efficacy of iron sucrose injection in managing anemia. We conclude that iron sucrose injection is safe and effective in the management of anemia in patients sensitive to iron dextran and can be administered without a test dose by IV push or infusion.