Abstract
The iron content of human nails has been measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry and compared with other measurements of iron status including the bone marrow. Four groups of individuals were studied: 40 healthy laboratory staff, five iron-deficient subjects before and during iron therapy, four patients at various stages of treatment with iron, and 15 postmortem cases. The iron status of the individual was reflected by the amount of iron present in nail samples. Nail sampling is proposed as a cheap, noninvasive method of assessing the iron status of the individual.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Addison G. M., Beamish M. R., Hales C. N., Hodgkins M., Jacobs A., Llewellin P. An immunoradiometric assay for ferritin in the serum of normal subjects and patients with iron deficiency and iron overload. J Clin Pathol. 1972 Apr;25(4):326–329. doi: 10.1136/jcp.25.4.326. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- BEVERIDGE B. R., BANNERMAN R. M., EVANSON J. M., WITTS L. J. HYPOCHROMIC ANAEMIA. A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY AND FOLLOW-UP OF 378 IN-PATIENTS. Q J Med. 1965 Apr;34:145–161. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- GALE E., TORRANCE J., BOTHWELL T. The quantitative estimation of total iron stores in human bone marrow. J Clin Invest. 1963 Jul;42:1076–1082. doi: 10.1172/JCI104793. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- GOLDBLUM R. W., DERBY S., LERNER A. B. The metal content of skin, nails and hair. J Invest Dermatol. 1953 Jan;20(1):13–18. doi: 10.1038/jid.1953.3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- HUSSAIN R., PATWARDHAN V. N. Iron content of thermal sweat in iron-deficiency anaemia. Lancet. 1959 May 23;1(7082):1073–1074. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(59)90653-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- JACOBS A., JENKINS D. J. The iron content of finger nails. Br J Dermatol. 1960 Apr;72:145–148. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2133.1960.tb13863.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Jacobs A., Miller F., Worwood M., Beamish M. R., Wardrop C. A. Ferritin in the serum of normal subjects and patients with iron deficiency and iron overload. Br Med J. 1972 Oct 28;4(5834):206–208. doi: 10.1136/bmj.4.5834.206. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Jacobs A. Serum ferritin. Birth Defects Orig Artic Ser. 1976;12(8):97–103. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Lipschitz D. A., Cook J. D., Finch C. A. A clinical evaluation of serum ferritin as an index of iron stores. N Engl J Med. 1974 May 30;290(22):1213–1216. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197405302902201. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Morgan E. H., Walters M. N. Iron storage in human disease: Fractionation of hepatic and splenic iron into ferritin and haemosiderin with histochemical correlations. J Clin Pathol. 1963 Mar;16(2):101–107. doi: 10.1136/jcp.16.2.101. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Walters G. O., Miller F. M., Worwood M. Serum ferritin concentration and iron stores in normal subjects. J Clin Pathol. 1973 Oct;26(10):770–772. doi: 10.1136/jcp.26.10.770. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]