Diffuse hypertrophy of gastric mucosa (Menétrier's disease) and iron-deficiency anaemia

A 23-year-old woman presented with intractable iron-deficiency anaemia. A barium meal showed widespread mucosal abnormalities in the stomach and massive mucosal hypertrophy was found at laparotomy. Repeated tests for occult blood were negative but gastrointestinal haemorrhage was confirmed by isotopic blood labelling. In the face of persistent anaemia and radiological progression, total gastrectomy was performed, since when a normal blood picture has been maintained. The excised stomach showed hyperplasia of all the mucosal elements, minimal inflammation, and no obvious bleeding point. Blood loss was attributed to diapedesis from a greatly increased capillary network.

Improved automated technique for the estimation of iron in ferrioxamine

A modified automated technique for the estimation of iron in the ferrioxamine complex is described. The use of sodium dithionite as the reducing agent gave greater recovery from ferrioxamine-containing solutions when compared with a standard manual method and automated method currently used. In addition errors due to urinary pigments are eliminated by dialysis.