PLASMA IRON AND IRON‐BINDING CAPACITY LEVELS IN HEALTH AND DISEASE : WITH AN IMPROVED METHOD FOR THE ESTIMATION OF PLASMA IRON CONCENTRATION AND TOTAL IRON‐BINDING CAPACITY

Abstract

Summary A method of estimating the plasma iron concentration and the total iron‐binding capacity, which has been found suitable for routine use in a hospital laboratory, is described. It is adapted from previously described methods. The iron is released from plasma iron‐binding protein by the action of dilute hydrochloric acid and thioglycollic acid, the plasma proteins are precipitated by trichloracetic acid without heating and the iron concentration is determined colorimetrically using the water‐soluble reagent, sulphonated 4 : 7 diphenyl 1 : 10 phenanthroline. Total iron‐binding capacity is estimated by first adding iron to the plasma in excess of the iron‐binding capacity, removing the excess iron with powdered magnesium carbonate, and estimating the iron remaining in the same manner as for plasma iron. The results obtained on the plasma from patients with infections, malignant disease, diseases of the liver and kidney, rheumatoid arthritis, hæmochromatosis, transfusional hæmosiderosis and various types of anemia, as well as from normal persons and pregnant women, are presented. The physiological basis of the changes observed in the values measured is discussed.