All issues > Volume 26(11); 1983

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1983;26(11):1095-1101. Published online November 30, 1983.

Urinary Excretion of Iron Renal Diseases.

Kyung Ja Bang¹, Jaeh Hoon Shin¹, Woo Gil Lee¹, Chong Moo Park¹

¹Department of Pediatrics，Hanyang University, College of Medicine, Seoul，Korea

Abstract

Iron is an essential element which participates in a variety of vital processes as well as hemoglobin synthesis of human body. Its hemeostasis is unique in that it is regulated primarily by absorption and not by excretion. Since the capacity of excreted iron is very limited, its absorption from the intestine must be controlled so that tissue accumulations do not reach. In adult males, iron is lost by way of the gastrointestinal tract, skin (sweat and exfoliation of squamous cell) and urinary tract, but urinary excretion of iron is negligible. Cartwright et al and Rifkind et al had reported that urinary excretion of iron was increased in nephrotic syndrome. However, there was no evidence that urinary excretion of iron was either increased or decreased in other renal diseases. Thus author measured the iron and protein in 24 hours urine and serum iron in 57 patients with, renal disease (acute glomerulonephritis; 33 patients, nephrotic syndrome; 12 patients, and acute pyelonephritis; 12 patients) admitted to Hanyang University Hospital Dspartment of pediatrics from November 1981 to October 1982 and evaluated the relationships between, urine iron and serum iron, urine iron and urine proteine. The obtained results were as follows： 1) The mean amount of iron in 24 hours urine in acute glomerulonephritis, nephrotic syndrome and acute pyelonephritis were 630.9μg/g/24 hr, 814.4 μg/24 hr, and 112.2μg/24 hr, respectively. Urinary excretion of iron was more increased in acute glomerulonephritis and nephrotic syndrome but not increased in acute pyelonephritis compared to normal range (less than 100μg/24 hr). However, these differences between acute glonaerulonephritis and nephrotic syndrome, nephrotic syndrome and acute pyelonephritis, and acute glomerulonephritis and pyelonephritis were not statistically significant. 2) The mean serum iron in acute glomerulonephritis, nephrotic syndrome and acute pyelonephritis were 82.9 /μg/dl, 51.6 μg/dl, and 50.8 μg/dl, respectively. 3) The mean amount of protein in 24 hours urine in acute glomerulonephritis, nephrotic syndrome and acute pyelonephritis were 298.4 μg/24 hr, 6.8 gm/24 hr, and 66.5 mg/24 hr,respectively. 4) There were no significant correlation between urine iron and serum iron in acute glomerulonephritis, nephrotic syndrome and acute pyelonephritis, respectively. 5) There were no significant correlation between urine iron and urine protein in acute glomerulonephritis, nephrotic syndrome and acute pyelonephritis, respectively. The results obtained by the present study showed that the anemia observed in renal diseases did not depend on incresed urinary excretion of iron in urine but depend on other complicated factors such, as the failure of renal excretory function, the failure of renal endocrine function and the etiology of the renal disease etc.

Keywords :Urine iron; serum iron; renal diseases