Bone marrow and chelatable iron in patients with protein energy malnutrition.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:

To examine the iron status of malnourished children by comparing bone marrow iron deposits in children with protein energy malnutrition with those in well-nourished controls, and measuring chelatable urinary iron excretion in children with kwashiorkor.

DESIGN:

Bone marrow iron was assessed histologically in postmortem specimens from children with kwashiorkor or marasmus, and from controls. Twenty-four-hour urinary iron was measured in children with severe kwashiorkor, half of whom received 10 mg/kg of intramuscular desferrioxamine (DFO) on admission.

SETTING:

Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, Cape Town.

SUBJECTS:

Thirteen children with kwashiorkor, 6 with marasmus and 16 well-nourished children underwent bone marrow examination. Urinary iron excretion was assayed in 17 children with kwashiorkor.

RESULTS:

Stainable iron was present in the bone marrow of half the children with kwashiorkor but in only 1 child in each of the other groups. The median iron excretion was 945.5 micrograms/24 hours in the DFO group compared with 28.5 micrograms/24 hours in the non-DFO group.

CONCLUSIONS:

There is an apparent excess of iron which may predispose to bacterial infections and free radical-mediated injury in children with kwashiorkor.

• Authors: A A Sive, W S Dempster, S Rosseau, M Kelly, H Malan, H D Heese
• Journal: South African medical journal = Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir geneeskunde (S Afr Med J) Vol. 86 Issue 11 Pg. 1410-3 (Nov 1996) ISSN: 0256-9574 [Print] South Africa
• PMID: 8980561 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Free Radicals
• Iron
• Deferoxamine

Topics

• Bone Marrow (chemistry, pathology)
• Child
• Child, Preschool
• Deferoxamine (therapeutic use)
• Free Radicals (adverse effects)
• Humans
• Infant
• Iron (urine)
• Iron Overload (drug therapy)
• Kwashiorkor (complications)
• Male
• Protein-Energy Malnutrition (complications)