SUMMARY

Chapter 4

Chapter 4 Summary

Iron deficiency is the result of long-term negative iron balance. Iron stores in the form of haemosiderin and ferritin are progressively diminished and no longer meet the needs of normal iron turnover. From this critical point onward, the supply of iron to the transport protein apotransferrin is compromised. This condition results in a decrease in transferrin saturation and an increase in transferrin receptors in the circulation and on the surface of cells, including the erythron. All tissues express their need for iron in exactly the same way, i.e. by the same type of transferrin receptors on cell ...