The total iron-binding capacity in iron poisoning: is it useful?

Article Abstract:

Iron poisoning can occur when sufficiently large amounts of iron accumulate in the blood. Elevated blood levels of iron can be reduced by administering an agent called deferoxamine, which binds to iron and causes it to be excreted in the urine. Under normal conditions the iron present in blood is bound to hemoglobin inside red blood cells. The total amount of iron that can be bound to hemoglobin is called the total iron binding capacity (TIBC). It has been suggested that the binding of iron to hemoglobin prevents the iron from causing toxic effects; based on this assumption, blood iron levels that exceed the TIBC have been used as a criteria for diagnosing iron poisoning and initiating deferoxamine therapy. However, there is no scientific evidence to support this notion. Previous reports have indicated that the TIBC may not be a reliable index of iron poisoning. In some cases, patients with iron poisoning were found to have higher than normal TIBCs, which returned to normal when the amount of iron in the blood returned to normal. A study was performed to evaluate the usefulness of the TIBC test in diagnosing iron poisoning. When increasing amounts of iron were added to blood samples, in quantities higher than those normally found in blood, the TIBC was found to increase as well. However, when deferoxamine was then added to the samples, the TIBC was the same as measured when no iron was added. Additionally, a review of TIBC tests performed by 500 different laboratories on 10 different blood samples resulted in a 16 percent variation in the test results. These findings indicate that the TIBC is not an accurate test and should not be used for diagnosing iron poisoning or initiating deferoxamine therapy. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Health aspects, Methods, Reports, Measurement, Iron, Iron (Metal), Trace elements in nutrition, Micronutrients, Toxicity testing, Toxicity tests, Deferoxamine, Pediatric toxicology

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Smoking in children

Article Abstract:

The prevalence of smoking in the adult population in Britain has been decreasing since the 1960s. Between 1972 and 1988, smoking prevalence decreased from 52 percent to 33 percent among men, and from 41 percent to 30 percent among women. Although men generally smoke more, the average number of cigarettes smoked by women has been increasing. More women (25 percent) than men (16 percent) smoke low-tar brands of cigarettes. Many adults who smoke began smoking during childhood. Recently, it was estimated that in Britain there are 500,000 children between the ages of 11 and 15 who smoke, of whom 100,000 are likely to die of smoking-related causes. One study reported that in 1988, 24 percent of the boys and 31 percent of the girls between the ages of 15 and 16 were smoking on a regular or occasional basis. Many children experiment with cigarettes before the age of 14, and the greatest incidence of smoking on a regular basis begins around age 14. The problem is to prevent experimental smoking from turning into a regular smoking habit. Several studies have tried to identify factors associated with starting to smoke at a young age. Among these factors are having parents or siblings who smoke, poor educational aspirations, and having a single parent. Children's attitudes and beliefs about smoking, family, school and social environment, media advertisements, and health education all play a role in determining whether a child will start smoking. Health education should focus on reinforcing negative views about smoking and promoting nonsmoking as the norm. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Evaluation, Smoking and youth, Youth smoking

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