The iron content of gastric juice: in relation to the cause of idiopathic hypochromic anemia

Non-hemin iron content in gastric juice was examined in 46 patients with various blood diseases, especially idiopathic hypochromic anemia and in 26 healthy controls. 1. The iron content in gastric juice was found to be 290 μg/ dl in healthy controls, a lower value of 110 μg/ dl in idiopathic hypochromic anemia and a higher value of 550 μg / dl in aplastic anemia. These values were in a close correlation with serum iron or sideroblasts. 2. In idiopathic hypochromic anemia there was also a close correlation between the iron content in gastric juice and hemoglobin. In the course of treating idiopathic hypochromic anemia (stage of recovery of anemia) the iron content in gastric juice showed a marked increase over the value in healthy controls as well as a transient increase after an intravenous iron tolerance test. This condition may be interpreted as an "iron-losing anemia". Iron excretion of gastric mucosa in various blood diseases and its changes in the course of treating idiopathic hypochromic anemia in relation to the cause of this anemia were discussed.