Oral iron with succinic acid in the treatment of iron deficiency anaemia. An evaluation based on measurements of iron absorption using a whole body counter and a double radioiron technique.

The iron absorption from ferrous sulphate tablets with and without succinic acid was studied during the first month of treatment of iron deficiency anaemia. The studies were made in volunteers made anaemic and iron depleted by repeated phlebotomies. The two kinds of tablets labelled with different radioiron isotopes were given on alternate days and the absorption was measured by a combined use of a whole body counter and a double radioiron technique. In 4 subjects the absorption was studied during the first 20 days of treatment and the average absorption was 20.9 and 13.5% of the 222 mg of iron administered daily when given with and without succinic acid respectively. In 4 other subjects the absorption was studied during two periods — day 1—10 and day 21–30. In the first period similar results were found as in the study day 1–20. The absorption day 21–30, however, was considerably lower. There was still, however, an absorption promoting effect of succinic acid of about the same magnitude. A calculation showed that the period of treatment needed to achieve the same total amount of iron absorbed can be expected to be much longer with ferrous sulphate alone due to the marked influence of the absorption promotor during the first 3 weeks of treatment when the absorption is markedly increased. The fact that in all periods studied more iron was absorbed than was used for haemoglobin formation thus indicates that iron stores start to be formed early and before the haemoglobin mass is restituted under the conditions studied.