| Sumario: | The normal iron content of the body is 3---4 g. It exists
in hemoglobin, in iron-containing proteins different to
hemoglobin, in iron bound to transferrin in plasma, and in the form of ferritin and hemosiderin. There is approximately 1 g of storage iron, mostly in liver, spleen, and bone marrow. Iron is lost in sweat, shed skin cells, and gastrointestinal loss at a rate of approximately 1 mg/day. Menstruating women lose an additional 0.5 mg/day to 1.0 mg/day of iron. Iron overload occurs when there is increased absorption of iron from a normal diet, or when the subject has received
large doses of parenteral iron from multiple red cell transfusions or multiple infusions of intravenous iron.
|
|---|
