During the acute phase response, what happens to serum iron and ferritin levels?

During the acute phase response, what happens to serum iron and ferritin levels?

• A. Increase in serum iron and decrease in ferritin
• B. Decrease in serum iron and increase in ferritin
• C. Increase in both serum iron and ferritin
• D. Decrease in both serum iron and ferritin

Answer: (B)

During the acute phase response, iron is withheld from the bloodstream to limit microbial growth. Inflammatory cytokines stimulate the liver to produce hepcidin, which blocks ferroportin and traps iron inside cells (especially macrophages and enterocytes). This reduces circulating iron levels (serum iron falls) while iron is sequestered in storage and ferritin levels rise. Ferritin also behaves as an acute-phase reactant, so its level increases during inflammation even if total iron stores are not expanded. So the pattern is a decrease in serum iron with an increase in ferritin.

During the acute phase response, iron is withheld from the bloodstream to limit microbial growth. Inflammatory cytokines stimulate the liver to produce hepcidin, which blocks ferroportin and traps iron inside cells (especially macrophages and enterocytes). This reduces circulating iron levels (serum iron falls) while iron is sequestered in storage and ferritin levels rise. Ferritin also behaves as an acute-phase reactant, so its level increases during inflammation even if total iron stores are not expanded. So the pattern is a decrease in serum iron with an increase in ferritin.