Utility of serum ferritin as a measure of iron deficiency in normal males
undergoing repetitive phlebotomy
RA Jacob, HH Sandstead, LM Klevay and LK Johnson
Hematologic indices and iron balance data were obtained on 22 normal male
volunteers who were subjected to a mean +/- SD phlebotomy of 164 +/- 34 ml
whole blood/mo while living in a controlled environment. Over an average
stay of 5 mo, volunteers did not develop anemia, but did display a
reduction in iron stores that was quantitated by measurement of serum
ferritin and iron balance. The percent saturation of transferrin and the
usual erythrocyte parameters did not reflect changes in iron status. Loss
of iron, which was calculated from quantitative phlebotomy and iron balance
data, showed that a decrease of 1 ng of serum ferritin represented a loss
of 4.5 +/- 5.3 mg of iron in 10 men whose initial serum ferritins were
greater than 25 ng/ml, and 25.3 +/- 58.8 mg of iron in 7 men whose initial
serum ferritins were less than 25 ng/ml. The period required for 3
volunteers who consumed a self-selected mixed diet at home to replace their
depleted iron stores to prephlebotomy levels was about 4.5 mo. The
sensitivity of serum ferritin as an index of iron stores was affirmed. In
addition it was found that normal men who were consuming a mixed diet
containing about 15 mg of iron daily and losing blood at a rate of 164 +/-
34 ml/mo did not increase their iron absorption sufficiently to compensate
for the iron loss.
Volume 56,
Issue 5,
pp. 786-791,
11/01/1980
Copyright © 1980 by The American Society of Hematology
