3.3 Variables influencing serum ferritin, LIC, and MIC
The patients receiving >10 red cell transfusions had higher mean serum ferritin (938 vs. 451 ng/ml, p=0.001) and a higher mean LIC (4.0 vs. 2.2, p=0.035) as compared to the group receiving <10 transfusions. The number of red cell units transfused correlated with serum ferritin and LIC. Children who were evaluated after 3 years from cessation of transfusions had lower serum ferritin (mean: 350 vs. 751 ng/ml) as well as a lower LIC (mean: 1.2 vs. 3.8 ng/ml) than those who were evaluated within 3 years from cessation of transfusions. The duration since the last transfusion inversely correlated with serum ferritin and LIC. The variables lacked a correlation with MIC (Table 2).