0 �� 2.6), moderate (18.4 �� 4.6), and severe (19.0 �� 4.6) chronic periodontitis patients, as opposed to the results of an earlier study18 in which mean ESR values were highest in patients with severe chronic periodontitis and lowest in patients with mild chronic periodontitis. Thus, the diagnostic value of this parameter of inflammation for measuring systemic involvement in periodontitis seems Lapatinib purchase to be limited.12 In our study, when biochemical parameters were analyzed, below normal serum iron and ferritin levels were found in both the periodontitis patients (30% and 20% respectively) and the control group subjects (36.67% and 10% respectively); the difference between the 2 groups was non-significant. The mean values of serum iron (g/dL) and serum ferritin (ng/mL) in the control (90.5 and 45.

8, respectively), mild periodontitis (101.3 and 26.3, respectively), moderate periodontitis (71.9 and 40.6, respectively) and severe periodontitis (84.1 and 34.9, respectively) groups were all in the normal range. These results were contradictory to those obtained by Miglani et al19 who claimed a definite negative correlation between serum iron values and periodontal disease status as the advancement of periodontal disease was associated with hypoferremia. Similarly, a study done to evaluate the blood changes in periodontal disease by Chawla et al20 found hypoferremia in periodontitis patients wherein 16 male patients (72.7%) and 6 female patients (75%) with moderate to severe periodontitis had low normal or below normal serum iron values.

However, there is a lack of literature to correlate serum ferritin values and periodontal disease. Thus, the results of the present study show no significant difference between the chronic periodontitis patients and control group subjects in terms of hematological and biochemical parameters, which was contradictory to the results of earlier studies12,13 that claimed an ACD-like condition associated with periodontal disease. ACD, which is defined as a mild anemia associated with chronic inflammatory, infectious, traumatic, or neoplastic illness, shows a characteristic disturbance of iron metabolism.7 The hallmark sign is normal or increased iron stores (serum ferritin) in the presence of hypoferremia.

7 In the present study, since the mean values of both serum iron Brefeldin_A and serum ferritin in the control and study groups were in the normal range, the presence of both ACD and iron deficiency anemia (characterized by the reduction of both serum iron and serum ferritin) can be ruled out in these subjects. The ACD detected in periodontitis patients in a previous study by Hutter et al12 was in fact termed as a ��slight�� form of anemia by Loos,21 because chronic periodontitis is a mild inflammatory condition.13 Thus, there is always a possibility of the presence or absence of this condition depending on the amount of inflammation present and host response to the inflammation.