Reduced serum ceruloplasmin levels in hereditary haemochromatosis

As ceruloplasmin (Cp) seems to be involved in iron mobilization, serum Cp l evels were measured in 35 patients with hereditary haemochromatosis (HH), 1 2 with acquired iron overload (AIO) and 36 healthy subjects. Cp was lower i n HH patients than in controls (P < 0.001); no difference was found between untreated HH patients and those on a phlebotomy programme (P = 0.07) and b etween the HH patients carrying the normal and the mutated alleles of the H FE gene (P = 0.8). Cp levels in AIO subjects were significantly higher than in HH patients (P < 0.004) and similar to those of controls (P = 0.2). No differences in albumin, alpha1 acid glycoprotein and copper serum levels we re observed in the three groups.