Increased serum ferritin levels in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients

• Published in: Journal of neurology Vol. 255; no. 11; pp. 1652 - 1656
• Main Authors: Goodall, E. F., Haque, M. S., Morrison, K. E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht D. Steinkopff-Verlag 01.11.2008; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aged; Aging; Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - blood; Analysis of Variance; Biological and medical sciences; C-Reactive Protein - metabolism; Ceruloplasmin - metabolism; Female; Females; Ferritins - blood; Gender; Humans; Iron - blood; Iron - metabolism; Male; Males; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolism; Middle Aged; Multiple sclerosis and variants. Guillain barré syndrome and other inflammatory polyneuropathies. Leukoencephalitis; Neurodegeneration; Neurology; Neuroradiology; Neurosciences; Normal Distribution; Original Communication; Oxidative stress; Patients; Sex Characteristics; Variance analysis; United Kingdom > UK; iron metabolism; ferritin; serum; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; Human; Nervous system diseases; Central nervous system disease; Ferritin; Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; Degenerative disease; Iron; Metabolism; Spinal cord disease
• ISSN: 0340-5354; 1432-1459
• DOI: 10.1007/s00415-008-0945-0

Iron misregulation promotes oxidative stress, a proposed pathological mechanism in neurodegenerative disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate serum iron metabolism indicators in 60 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients and 44 age matched controls. Serum ferritin levels were significantly increased in ALS patients compared to controls ( p < 0.001), while no differences in the levels of serum iron, transferrin, iron saturation or total iron binding capacity were found. Likewise no differences in C reactive protein (CRP) or caeruloplasmin were detected, suggesting that the elevated ferritin levels in ALS did not merely indicate an acute phase response. The increased ferritin level may reflect a general increase in stored iron or be a consequence of ongoing muscle degeneration.