title: The relationship between marrow iron stores, plasma ferritin concentrations and iron absorption.
abstract: The percentage absorption from a 3 mg dose of ferrous iron was measured in 50 subjects with iron stores that varied over a wide range. Iron status was assessed by a number of measurements, including the haemoglobin concentration, the plasma iron concentration, the total iron-binding capacity, the plasma ferritin concentration and the concentration of non-haem iron in the bone marrow. There were good inverse correlations between the log percentage iron absorption and both the log marrow non-haem iron concentration (r -0.94; P less than 0.001) and the log plasma ferritin concentration (r -0.78; P less than 0.001). In addition, there was a positive ferritin concentration (r +0.84; P less than 0.001). These results suggest that reticuloendothelial iron stores represent an important determinant of iron absorption and that their size can be guaged from the plasma ferritin concentration.
mesh_terms: D000740:Anemia / Q000097:blood; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000097:blood; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000378:metabolism*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood*; D006432:Hemochromatosis / Q000097:blood; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007408:Intestinal Absorption; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D000090463:Iron Deficiencies; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D012157:Mononuclear Phagocyte System / Q000378:metabolism; D009196:Myeloproliferative Disorders / Q000097:blood; D014168:Transferrin / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D014168:Transferrin; D005293:Ferritins; D007501:Iron