Iron metabolism in Hodgkin's disease.

An evaluation of iron metabolism has been carried out in 23 untreated patients with Hodgkin's disease and 6 patients with other lymphomata. The reduction in red cell life span is related to the stage of the disease. There is an almost universal impairment of iron release from the reticuloendothelial system with a consequent sideropenia and failure of iron delivery to the bone marrow for erythropoiesis. This defect is found in all stages of the disease and is not related to systemic symptoms.