Continuous intravenous deferoxamine infusion. Treatment of secondary hemochromatosis in adults.

Adult patients with chronic iron overload were given oral ascorbic acid and continuous intravenous infusions of deferoxamine mesylate. The dosage of deferoxamine mesylate was altered every 48 hours from 1 g/sq m/24 hr to 2 or 4 g/sq m/24 hr. The average iron mobilization was 55.6 mg per day at the 1 g/sq m/24 hr dosage level, 78.6 mg every 24 hours at the 2 g/sq m/24 hr dosage level, and 90.1 mg every 24 hours at the 4 g/sq m/24 hr dosage level. Iron mobilization was undiminished when successive 14-day courses of deferoxamine separated by six-week intervals were administered.