MARROW IRON STORES IN ANEMIA

A study of bone marrow iron stores measured qualitatively, as reported by Rath and Finch, and correlated the iron stores with the circulating hemoglobin level and with the type of anemia present.

Abstract

WITH THE renewed interest in iron metabolism that has been stimulated by the increased availability of serum iron levels, radioactive iron studies, and bone marrow iron stores estimation, we have undertaken a study of bone marrow iron stores measured qualitatively, as reported by Rath and Finch. 1 Masshoff and Gruner 2 have been unable to confirm the reciprocal relationship between circulating hemoglobin and iron stores demonstrated by Rath and Finch; however, Davidson and Jennison 3 have reported a similar study, using bone marrow tissue sections and fragment smears, confirming the observations of Rath and Finch, except in the miscellaneous group, which includes the leukemias. METHOD We have used smears of bone marrow fragments in our study and have correlated the iron stores with the circulating hemoglobin level and with the type of anemia present. The materials used in this study were 128 sternal and, occasionally, iliac bone marrow samples, of which the first