Ascorbic acid status in idiopathic hemochromatosis

Vitamin C status was studied, by means of leucocyte ascorbic acid concentrations, in 67 cases of idiopathic hemochromatosis subdivided into 44 untreated and 25 treated cases (2 patients belonging to both subgroups) and compared to 31 normal subjects and 37 alcoholic cirrhosis patients. The control groups exhibited the following mean levels (+/- SEM): 34.4 +/- 1.9 microgram/10(8) WBC in normals and 22.0 +/- 1.8 microgram/10(8) WBC in alcoholic cirrhosis. In idiopathic hemochromatosis the mean levels were: for the untreated group 19.5 +/- 1.7 microgram/10(8) WBC and for the treated group 34.3 +/- 2.3 microgram/10(8) WBC. These results (1) affirm an important vitamin C deficiency in the untreated disease; (2) suggest that iron overload is the main causal factor in view of the striking difference--to date unreported--between untreated and treated cases of idiopathic hemochromatosis. Besides its possible theoretical interests, this vitamin C deficiency is responsible in idiopathic hemochromatosis for a significant underestimation of the desferrioxamine-induced urinary iron excretion.