Abstract
In order to elucidate the pathophysiology of iron deficiency anemia during adolescence, interrelationship among vitamin E, ovarian function and unpalpable splenomegaly was studied in this anemia and following results were obtained.
1. The serum vitamin E level of patients with iron deficiency anemia in adolescence before treatment was 0.87±0.17mg per 100ml showing a remarkably low level as compared to 1.25±0.12mg per 100ml in healthy adults.
Dialuric acid hemolysis test in patients with iron deficiency anemia during adolescence before treatment was positive in 43.1%. No positive dialuric acid hemolysis test was observed in any of the healthy adults.
Following iron therapy, increase of serum vitamin E level, decreased in-cidence of positive dialuric acid hemolysis test were observed accompanied with recovery from anemia.
2. In pretreatment stage of this anemia decreased urinary excretion of estrogen and pregnanediol with abnormal pattern of basal body temperature indicating ovarian dysfunction were observed. However, this ovarian dysfunc-tion extremely improved with recovery from anemia following iron therapy.
3. In 65.6% of patients with iron deficiency anemia in adolescence un-palpable splenomegaly was observed by tomographic examination before treat-ment. However, reduction of splenic size was observed in 52.8% of the cases with recovery from anemia following iron therapy.
The role of vitamin E in connection with ovarian dysfunction and unpalp-able splenomegaly in iron deficiency anemia during adolescence was discussed.
A part of this paper was presented in International Society of Hematology XIIth Congress, New York, September, 1968.
