The Effect of Intramuscular Iron Therapy on Hematological Values in Normal Men and Women

It has been claimed repeatedly that iron stimulates hemoglobin formation in normal men and women. Because of the inconclusive evidence in the literature, the possible stimulatory action of iron on normal hemoglobin synthesis was reinvestigated by evaluating the effect of 1000 mg. of intramuscular iron on hematological parameters in six normal men and six normal women over a six-month period. Determinations of red cell and hemoglobin mass after three and six months and monthly determinations of hemoglobin concentration, packed cell volume, red cell count, reticulocyte count, mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration showed no significant rise in either the men or the women. It is concluded that there is no demonstrable proof that the administration of iron stimulates erythropoiesis or hemoglobin synthesis in iron-sufficient normal men and women.