Which condition is characterized by the increase in erythrocyte protoporphyrin?

The condition characterized by an increase in erythrocyte protoporphyrin is iron deficiency. In cases of iron deficiency, the body struggles to produce hemoglobin, leading to a compensatory increase in protoporphyrin levels as a result of inadequate iron availability for hemoglobin synthesis. Protoporphyrin is a precursor to heme, and when iron is deficient, protoporphyrin accumulates.

Iron overload typically leads to decreased erythrocyte protoporphyrin levels because excess iron can inhibit the production and availability of protoporphyrin for heme synthesis, causing different hematological abnormalities. Vitamin B12 deficiency primarily affects the production of red blood cells through a different mechanism, usually leading to macrocytic anemia, where protoporphyrin levels remain unaffected or may actually decrease. Hemolytic anemia is characterized by the premature destruction of red blood cells, which can present a variety of different laboratory findings, but it does not typically lead to increased erythrocyte protoporphyrin levels as the pathophysiology differs from that of iron deficiency.

Thus, the increase in erythrocyte protoporphyrin is specifically a hallmark of iron deficiency anemia, where the inadequate iron