Complete blood count, measures of iron status and inflammatory markers in inner-city African Americans with undiagnosed hepatitis C seropositivity.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection may be associated with thrombocytopenia and increased iron stores in patients receiving medical care. We aimed to determine how often changes in hematologic, iron metabolic and inflammatory markers occur in individuals with undiagnosed HCV in the community.

Methods: Inner-city African Americans (n=143) were recruited from the community according to reported ingestion of alcohol.

Ferroportin Q248h, dietary iron, and serum ferritin in community African-Americans with low to high alcohol consumption.

Background: Alcohol consumption is associated with increased iron stores. In sub-Saharan Africa, high dietary ionic iron and the ferroportin Q248H allele have also been implicated in iron accumulation. We examined the associations of ferroportin Q248H, alcohol and dietary iron with serum ferritin, aspartate aminotransaminase (AST) and alanine aminotransaminase (ALT) concentrations in African-Americans.