Changes in Iron Metabolism in Early Chloramphenicol Toxicity12

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Abstract
Iron metabolism was studied in 15 patients receiving chloramphenicol by means of tracer studies with radioactive Fe and determinations of plasma Fe and plasma Fe binding capacity. Five of these patients showed a profound reversible suppression of erythrocyte production during the period of chloramphenicol administration. In 4 of these cases there were no discernable abnormalities of leukocytes or thrombocytes, and the bone marrow was normally cellular during the period of suppressed erythrocyte production. Increased saturation of the plasma Fe binding globulin was noted in each case during the period of toxicity, and provides a simple means of detecting early chloramphenicol toxicity.