Ascorbic acid malabsorption in thalassaemia

In all groups of thalassaemic children, before loading, the plasma l-ascorbic acid was found invariably lower than in controls. In groups I and II after oral administration of 50 and 100 mg respectively, of ascorbic acid per kg body weight, the plasma l-ascorbic acid level rose significantly less in thalassaemic children than in the controls. Moreover, in group II, after doubling the loading dose (100 mg of ascorbic acid per kg body weight) the increment in plasma l-ascorbic acid level was greater in the controls than in thalassaemic children; also the rate of decrease was delayed in thalassaemic patients up to 6 h. Loading with ascorbic acid intramuscularly (group III), resulted in parallel increase and decrease rates of plasma l-ascorbic acid levels up to the 6th h in the thalassaemic children and in the controls. The above results strongly suggest that in thalassaemia we have to do with ascorbic acid malabsorption.