Measurement of Iron Stores Using Deferoxamine

Deferoxamine (DFO)-induced urinary iron excretion was evaluated as a test for the measurement of iron stores. Iron stores were assessed by both phlebotomy and histologic techniques or by histologic methods alone. A close linear correlation was found between DFO-provoked sideruria and iron mobilizable by phlebotomy. Post-DFO urinary iron excretion greater than 2,200 µg/24 hr indicated iron excess with a high degree of probability. After DFO, sideruria less than 600 µg/24 hr frequently signaled iron deficiency. Most subjects with normal iron stores fell between these two extremes. Several findings, however, indicated that the amount of iron excreted in urine after DFO was not related entirely to iron store size. The iron stores of 11 normal men were measured by phlebotomy and were found to average 687 mg with a range of 130 to 1,900 mg.