Serum hemopexin in patients with dermatitis herpetiformis on dapsone (di(4-aminophenyl)sulphone)

Twenty patients with dermatitis herpetiformis treated with di(4-aminophenyl)-sulphone (Dapsone) were analyzed with respect to serum hemopexin concentration as well as some other haematological parameters. With one exception, there were normal concentrations of serum hemopexin when the haptoglobin and methaemoglobin concentrations were normal. Ten out of 11 patients with haptoglobin below 0.3 g/l, which is the lower limit of reference interval at this laboratory, had their hemopexin concentrations reduced to various extents. There was an inverse relationship between the concentration of serum hemopexin and blood methaemoglobin. There was no correlation between amount of Heinz bodies and the concentrations of blood methaemoglobin, serum haptoglobin or serum hemopexin. It is concluded that serum hemopexin measurement should be of value in the assessment of the severity of the haemolysis caused by the drug treatment in those cases who have a low serum haptoglobin concentration.