[Geophagia sideropenica].
The authors describe two cases of geophagia (45 years old mother and her 25 years old daughter). Both suffered from an anaemia of medium degree only (case 1: 3.77 million of erythrocytes, Hb 8.5 g%; case 2: 3.34 million of erythrocytes, Hb 10 g%), there was a serious iron deficiency (46 and 35 microgram % respectively of serum iron). Both were blood donors, the mother 7 times and the daughter 31 times. In both cases the iron deficiency existed before geophagia. The desire for eating argillacecous earth already disappeared after the application of some ampules of Ferrlecit injected intravenously, even before the values of the serum iron and the number of erythrocytes had changed. The number of erythrocytes, the Hb value and that of haematocrit as well as the values of the serum iron normalized completely. EEG changes were observed in both cases, which could be influenced by the ferrotherapy. The authors recommend the serum iron estimation in all blood donors as well as the introduction of their routine treatment with iron preparations.
D000328:Adult; D000747:Anemia, Hypochromic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012987:Soil
D012987:Soil; D007501:Iron
Geophagia sideropenica.