Ascorbic acid does not augment the restoration effect of iron treatment for empty iron stores in patients after gastrointestinal surgery.

The effect of a 6-week combined treatment with ferrous sulfate (80 mg Fe++ three times daily) and ascorbic acid (75 mg three times daily) on the empty iron stores in 20 patients after gastrointestinal surgery was examined from changes of serum ferritin. One group of 20 patients with similar clinical characteristics served as controls. The treatment replaced the empty iron stores. Since mean serum ferritin concentrations increased from 9 +/- 8 to 29 +/- 11 micrograms/l (P less than 0.001) in males and from 8 +/- 8 to 26 +/- 10 micrograms/l (P less than 0.001) in the females. Also blood hemoglobin and serum iron concentrations increased significantly (P less than 0.01). Among the controls there were no marked changes in serum ferritin, blood hemoglobin or serum iron concentrations. However, the increase of serum ferritin caused by this combined treatment was similar with that caused previously by pure ferrous sulfate treatment. Thus, it is considered that the combined treatment with ferrous sulfate (80 mg Fe++ three times daily) and ascorbic acid (75 mg three times daily) restores the empty iron stores in patients after gastrointestinal surgery, but that the increase is not augmented by the ascorbic acid. Thus, a pure iron therapy is recommended to fill up the empty iron stores in these patients.