Iron in Health and Disease Flashcards
where does iron absoprtion occur?
mainly in duodenum
how does absorbic acid affect iron absorption?
enhances absoprtion
what dietary items can inhibit iron absoprtion?
tannins (tea)
phytates (cereals/bran)
calcium (dairy)
how does duodenal cytochrome B (found in luminal surface) affect iron?
reduced Fe3+ to Fe2+
what is the function of ferroportin?
facilitates iron export from the enterocyte,
then passed onto transferrin for transport somewhere else
what is produced in the liver in response to iron load and inflammation?
hepcidin
how is iron status assessed?
funcitonal iron
transport iron/supply to tissues
storage iron
how is functional iron measured?
Hb Concentration
how is transport iron measurede?
% saturation of transferrin with iron
how is storage iron measured?
serum ferritin
tissue biopsy
what protein is used to transport iron?
transferrin
what are th bound and unbound forms of transferrin?
bound → holotransferrin
unbound → apotransferrin
what other circumstances can serum ferritin be raised?
infection
malignancy
what are some causes of iron deficiency?
insufficient intake
malabsoprtion
bleeding
what is iron malutilisation?
anaemia of chronic disease