Table 2.

Hematological and iron status examinations in EPP patients classified according to gender and microcytosis.

	Hb (g/dL)	MCV (fL)	Iron (mcg/dL)	Tf (mg/dL)	TfS (%)	Ferritin (ng/mL)	sTfR (mcg/mL)	Hepcidin (ng/mL)
Normal female reference values	12–16	78–99	37–145	200–360	18–24	15–150	0.67–1.78	6–22
Normal male reference values	13.5–17.5	80–94	59–158	200–360	26–35	30–400	0.58–1.72	6–21
Microcytic EPP females (4/9)	11.2 ± 0.41*	75.0 ± 1.48	44 ± 14*	309 ± 17	12 ± 2*	7 ± 2*	2.95 ± 0.98°	3.84 ± 3.78
Microcytic EPP males (7/11)	14.3 ± 0.15	75.9 ± 0.99	100 ± 36	302 ± 24	29 ± 5	47 ± 9	1.97 ± 0.41	20.5 ± 5.01
Normocytic EPP females (5/9)	12.6 ± 0.23	83.6 ± 1.25	70 ± 42	300 ± 38	20 ± 5	21 ± 7	2.14 ± 0.78	25.9 ± 9.21
Normocytic EPP males (4/11)	15.2 ± 0.38	83.1 ± 1.20	126 ± 45	298 ± 38	32 ± 5	97 ± 34	1.59 ± 0.75	50.4 ± 16.6

Hemoglobin [Hb], mean corpuscular volume [MCV], transferrin [Tf], Tf saturation [TfS], serum Tf receptor [sTfR]. Data are expressed as mean ± SD. All reference values were obtained from routine analysis of Italian general population except for sTfR and Hepcidin for which the normal ranges were obtained from control subjects included in the study.

^* p = 0.008 microcytic females vs microcytic males.

^° p = 0.05 microcytic females vs microcytic males.