Desferrioxamine‐Induced Urinary Iron Excretion in Normal and Iron‐Deficient Subjects

The fraction of intravenously administered desferrioxamine (DF) and radioiron‐labelled ferrioxamine excreted with the urine varied within a narrow range in normal and iron‐deficient subjects. The DF‐induced urinary iron excretion is thus well correlated to the amount of iron chelated in the body. The variation in the amount of iron excreted with the urine after intravenous administration of 10 mg DF/kg body weight was studied in normal and iron‐deficient men and women. The iron excretion was significantly lower in iron‐deficient than in normal subjects, and it was lower in women than in men. The results showed that the iron excretion reflected the iron status of the body.