Serum iron status in Rett syndrome.

Low ferritin content in putamen and frontal cortex found in a postmortem study in a single case of Rett syndrome prompted measurement of iron-related parameters in blood. Serum ferritin, serum iron and transferrin were evaluated in 27 patients with classical Rett syndrome. Signs of iron deficiency and depletion of body iron stores were found in 20% of probands aged up to 6 years and in 37% older than 14 years. This result is in accordance with figures from the normal female population and therefore a linkage between iron depletion in brain and depleted iron stores could not be proven.