The Increase of Body Iron Stores Estimated by the Increase of Serum Ferritin Concentration during Ferrous Sulphate Treatment after Gastrointestinal Surgery

A 6-wk period of iron therapy with ferrous sulphate (80 mg Fe++ three times daily) was given to 16 males and 16 females on whom previously various common gastrointestinal surgery had been performed and who had empty iron stores estimated from low serum ferritin concentration. The results were compared with a control group corresponding to the study group in respect to sex, number of patients, primary disease, previous operation, and the empty iron stores. The iron therapy replenished the empty body iron stores, because the serum ferritin concentrations increased from 11 +/- 7 to 35 +/ 13 micrograms/liter (p less than 0.001) in the males and from 9 +/- 6 to 30 +/- 10 micrograms/liter (p less than 0.001) in the females, whereas the corresponding changes in the control group were from 10 +/- 9 to 11 +/- 8 micrograms/liter and from 11 +/- 8 to 13 +/- 11 micrograms/liter in the males and females, respectively. Also the blood hemoglobin concentration increased in the group receiving iron from 136 +/- 11 to 150 +/- 11 g/liter (p less than 0.01) and from 130 +/- 12 to 142 +/- 11 g/liter (p less than 0.01) and the serum iron from 14 +/- 6 to 18 +/- 5 mmol/liter (p less than 0.01) and from 13 +/- 6 to 17 +/- 6 mmol/liter (p less than 0.01) in males and females, respectively, whereas corresponding changes in the control group for hemoglobin were from 135 +/- 10 to 137 +/- 11 g/liter and from 129 +/- 11 to 131 +/- 10 g/liter and for serum iron from 14 +/- 6 to 14 +/- 5 mmol/liter and from 14 +/- 6 to 14 +/- 5 mmol/liter, in the males and females, respectively. The response to iron treatment varied considerably between different patients, because in some few patients serum ferritin decreased during the study and in some the increase was several-fold the initial value. The study shows that ferrous sulphate treatment is an effective and practical way to replenish the empty iron stores, estimated from serum ferritin concentrations, in patients after various gastrointestinal surgery and that concomitantly the blood hemoglobin and serum iron concentrations will increase.