INFLUENCE OF GASTRIC ACIDITY AND DEGREE OF ANEMIA ON IRON RETENTION

Abstract

We have shown in a previous report¹ that patients with hypochromic anemia retain large amounts of iron when the doses of iron and ammonium citrates are administered by mouth. The results were obtained with the administration of 3 Gm. of iron and ammonium citrates per day and were not appreciably influenced by the gastric acidity or the severity of the anemia. The present communication deals more specifically with the effect of these particular factors on the retention of iron when varying amounts of the metal are administered. It has been shown that iron is absorbed from the duodenum and the upper portion of the jejunum.² Lintzel³ stated as his belief that it is absorbed only in an ionized form and that an acid reaction is necessary for this ionization, and Verzar,⁴ among others, has expressed a similar view. Mettier and Minot⁵ have shown by means