Pharmacokinetics Of Iron

Daily requirement of Iron – Male 10mg

– Female 15 mg

Increases in growing children, pregnant and lactating women

Sources

• Dietary – mostly in the organic form from meat, cereals, etc.

Body composition of Iron

Total content of Iron in the body is about 4000mg in an adult male, of which about 2/3 – 2500 mg is present in circulating red blood cells see table.

Table: Iron distribution in normal adults

N.B. The above estimations are based on the assumptions that:

The average male adult weighs 80 kg and has a mean Hb level of 16 g/dL and the female adult weighs 55 kg and has a mean Hb level of 14 g/dL.