Iron metabolism and peripheral eosinophil count do not correlate in the general population

Mara De Amici; Riccardo Albertini; Fiorella Barocci; Tiziana Bosoni; Laura Maria Ciardelli; Annalisa De Silvestri; Gian Luigi Marseglia; Giorgio Ciprandi

doi:10.4081/jbr.2023.11352

Authors

Mara De Amici Immuno-Allergology Laboratory of Clinical Chemistry and Pediatric Clinic, Foundation IRCCS Policlinic San Matteo, Pavia, Italy. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1055-8123
Riccardo Albertini Laboratory of Clinical Chemistry, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0462-0867
Fiorella Barocci Formerly Medicine Unit Laboratory, ASST Rhodense, Garbagnate Milanese, Rho (MI), Italy. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0002-7698
Tiziana Bosoni Laboratory of Clinical Chemistry, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3427-7465
Laura Maria Ciardelli Laboratory of Clinical Chemistry, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8504-9609
Annalisa De Silvestri Scientific Direction, Clinical Epidemiology and Biometric Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3128-8441
Gian Luigi Marseglia Pediatric Clinic, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia; Department of Clinical, Surgical, Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences, University of Pavia, Italy.
Giorgio Ciprandi
gio.cip@libero.it
Allergy Clinic, Casa di Cura Villa Montallegro, Genoa, Italy. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7016-8421

Iron is a primary component of the human body and exerts many functions, mainly concerning red cells and the immune system. In addition, there is evidence that iron-deficiency anemia is associated with allergic diseases. Type 2 inflammation characterizes allergic diseases. Peripheral eosinophils are a reliable biomarker for type 2 inflammation. Therefore, the present study investigated the possible relationship between iron metabolism and peripheral eosinophils in a large population. Eosinophils also play important roles in immune and tissue homeostasis. A growing body of data suggests tissue eosinophils represent a plastic and heterogeneous population of functional sub-phenotypes, shaped by environmental (systemic and local) factors. The retrospective study included 2795 subjects who were afferent to the Clinical Chemistry Analysis Laboratory during the year 2022. Men had higher peripheral eosinophil count than women (p<0.001). Furthermore, stratifications for sex, eosinophil, and hemoglobin cut-offs showed that men had more eosinophil counts than women. However, there was no correlation between iron biomarkers and peripheral eosinophils. The present study did not demonstrate a clear relationship between iron deficiency and peripheral eosinophil count. Even if this large population may include allergic subjects and patients with different diseases, it seems that iron does not directly affect eosinophil count.

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De Amici, M., Albertini, R., Barocci, F., Bosoni, T., Ciardelli, L. M., De Silvestri, A., Marseglia, G. L., & Ciprandi, G. (2023). Iron metabolism and peripheral eosinophil count do not correlate in the general population. Journal of Biological Research - Bollettino Della Società Italiana Di Biologia Sperimentale, 96(2). https://doi.org/10.4081/jbr.2023.11352