The importance of iron reabsorption in intestinal hemorrhage caused by worms in the course of anemia

Abstract

Ten patients presenting ancylostomotic anemia and a high rate of parasitosis were submitted to several hematologic determinations: hemoglobin level, erythrocyte count, hematocrit, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, serum iron level, and transferrin. In addition, measurements were made of the blood volume lost by intestinal bleeding, of iron loss through hemorrhage and in feus, and of iron reabsorption from intestinal bleeding. The main reason for the late appearance of iron deficiency anemia in ancylostomiasis is the high degree of dally iron absorption in the digestive tract, originating from hemoglobin breakdown.