Determination of iron in urine with special reference to the desferrioxamine test.

A simple and rapid method for the determination of ferrioxamine iron in urine, in which the colour reagent is added directly to centrifuged urine after reduction with dithionite, has been critically evaluated and compared with a method of iron determination after wet ashing. The coefficient of variation of both methods was less than 5%. A very high correlation was found between the values obtained with the two methods, but the simple method gave consistently lower values, averaging about 85% of those by the wet ashing method. Iron present in the urine sediment or bound in a soluble form which is not split off by dithionite will not be measured with the simple method. Despite its lower values the simple method gives uniform and reliable results, and is considered suitable for the performance of the desferrioxamine test.