Hypothermia in iron deficiency due to altered triiodothyronine metabolism

Iron-deficient rats become hypothermic and have an excessive catecholamine response when exposed to an ambient temperature of 4 degrees C. This is not due to changes in body insulation, since thickness is unaltered, since differences persist after removal of hair, and since cutaneous vasoconstriction is intact. On the other hand, oxygen consumption of iron-deficient animals at 4 degrees C is reduced, 39 +/- 3 ml . kg-1 . min-1 compared to 63 +/- 2 in control animals. Thyroxine (T4) values at 4 degrees C were 4.34 +/- 0.20 microgram/dl sera as compared to control values of 3.6 +/- 0.32. Triiodothyronine (T3) values of iron-deficient animals in the cold were 48 +/- 6.8 ng/dl as compared to 72 +/- 5.6 in control animals. Treatment of iron-deficient animals with iron was shown to normalize the plasma T3 response at 4 degrees C within 6 days. Thyroidectomized iron-deficient animals injected with T3 did not show hypothermia at 4 degrees C, whereas thyroidectomized iron-deficient animals injected with T4 showed hypothermia, increased catecholamines, and decreased T3 levels as compared to non-iron-deficient animals similarly treated. It is proposed that iron deficiency impairs conversion of T4 to T3 and that this is primarily responsible for the hypothermia observed.