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).