Copper & Iron imbalance in chronic disease as seen in "MS" --- PROPER testing is the key!! because: "Ferritin Is Not an Indicator of Available Hepatic Iron Stores in Anemia of Copper Deficiency in Rats .... Unlike most iron-deficiency anemias, the anemia of copper deficiency reported herein was not due to depleted iron stores but to hepatic iron overload and an impaired release of iron from body iron stores. Unlike the anemia of iron deficiency that responds to iron supplementation (14), the anemia of copper deficiency should not be treated by iron supplementation but should be treated by either lowering the intake of dietary iron or by chelation therapy (15)(16)(17). As can be seen in the present study, the less severe anemia of copper deficiency was caused by the consumption of a low-iron diet. In contrast, the most severe anemia in copper-deficient rats was induced by consumption of additional concentrations of dietary iron and was associated with the highest concentrations of liver iron. This hepatic iron retention, however, could be toxic (18)(19). Plasma ferritin did not reflect the magnitude of these abnormalities. This is the first report, however, that demonstrates that serum ferritin, a key conventional laboratory test, is inadequate in identifying anemia and assessing functional iron stores in copper deficiency. This finding may have practical significance to clinicians dealing with cases presenting as anemias of iron deficiency..."
http://m.clinchem.org/content/43/8/1457.full