Simulation of thalassemia.

The model was changed by increasing the rate of transfer of RBC iron to spleen (kRBCspleen) four-fold. The plots then show the effect of slower rates of incorporation of transferrin iron to bone-marrow (kInBM). A: transferrin saturation; B: iron content in spleen, RBC, duodenum, bone marrow, and rest of body; C: NTBI and liver iron; D: hepcidin and EPO. A qualitative change in the phenotype happens at around 60–65% value of kInBM, corresponding to the full saturation of transferrin; for values below this threshold the phenotype resembles thalassemia major, whereas above is more like thalassemia intermedia.