[Oral iron treatment: intestinal absorption and the influence of a meal (author's transl)]

Intestinal iron absorption after a single dose of a special galenic preparation (50 and 100 mg iron as ferrous glycocoll sulphate in micropellets) was investigated in 105 persons with normal iron stores (42), latent (40) or manifest iron deficiency (23). Absorption rate rate on fasting as well as after breakfast was measured in 21 persons. Intestinal absorption increased in persons with iron deficiency, but maximal absorption after a single dose of 100 mg did not exceed 25%. This absorption rate was already reached in persons with latent iron deficiency. There was no significant reduction of absorption when the preparation was given at the end of breakfast.