IRON STATUS FOLLOWING TRAUMA, EXCLUDING BURNS

Serum concentration of iron, transferrin saturation and total iron bin ding capacity (TIBC) were measured on days 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10 and 13 in 36 Thai patients with trauma (burns excluded) to determine temporal c hanges in iron metabolism. Throughout the study profound hypoferraemia was observed in association with decreased transferrin saturation. TI BC, in contrast, did not differ significantly from that in controls. T hese findings confirm previous reports which describe altered iron met abolism in association with an adverse event, a response known as 'str ess hypoferraemia', and extends these observations to non-burned patie nts with trauma. The degree of hypoferraemia in patients in this study was not related to sepsis, Injury Severity Score, volume of blood tra nsfused or surgery, suggesting that hypoferraemia following trauma is an independent event. The recognition of rapid and prolonged iron sequ estration provides insight into the clinical condition of patients wit h trauma.