[Aetiological spectrum of hyperferritinemia]. / Spectre étiologique des hyperferritinémies.

ABSTRACT

UNLABELLED Serum ferritin levels may be increased in many conditions renal diseases, liver diseases, human immunodeficiency virus infection. The purpose of this study was to assess the aetiological spectrum of high serum ferritin levels in a 1200-bed university hospital, to compare our results with the data already published and to assess a potential association between aetiology and ferritin levels. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with a serum ferritin level higher than 600 microg/l were retrospectively included between 15 November 2003 and 15 January 2004, and their medical records were reviewed. RESULTS: Ninety-eight patients (38 women and 60 men; median age 59,5 years [19-92]) were recruited in departments of hepatology and gastroenterology (22%), haematology (14%) and internal medicine (18%). Diagnosis performed were non-HIV systemic infections (23,8%), haematological diseases (16,1%), alcoholism (11,2%) and malignancies (9,8%). Dialysed chronic renal failure, liver diseases, haemochromatosis and systemic inflammatory diseases counted for 4.2 to 5.2% of cases. Serum ferritin level lied between 600 and 1000 microg/l for 50 patients, between 1000 and 1500 microg/l for 24, and over 1500 microg/l for 24. There was no significant difference between the three groups as regards the etiological distribution. DISCUSSION: In our study, chronic renal failure was not a major cause of high ferritin level this is probably due to the current use of erythropoietin, which has decreased the use of blood transfusions. The two major aetiology of hyperferritinemia were non-HIV infections and malignancies.