Role in Disease
Transferrin imbalance can have serious health effects for those with low or high serum transferrin levels. A patient with an increased serum transferrin level often suffers from iron deficiency anemia. A patient with decreased plasma transferrin can suffer from iron overload diseases and protein malnutrition. An absence of transferrin results from a rare genetic disorder known as atransferrinemia; a condition characterized by anemia and hemosiderosis in the heart and liver that leads to many complications, including heart failure. Most recently, transferrin and its receptor have been shown to diminish tumour cells by using the receptor to attract antibodies.
Read more about this topic: Transferrin
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