The effect of iron deficiency on the stomach of the rat.

Iron deficiency in man has long been known to produce changes in certain epithelial structures such as the nails, tongue, mouth and oesophagus. The association of hypochromic anaemia with achlorhydria was first described in the early part of this century (Faber, 1 g 1 3 ) , and since then the results of many studies have indicated that achlorhydria and chronic gastritis are unduly frequent in patients with irondeficiency anaemia (Witts, 1959). Although all writers acknowledge the association of gastric abnormalities with iron deficiency there is much controversy as to whether the gastric disorder is the result or the cause of the iron deficiency, and many hypotheses have been put forward in an attempt to explain their association. In these circumstances it would seem natural to study the problem by experiments on animals. Surprisingly enough, there have been no previous reports of functional or structural studies on the stomach of iron-deficient animals apart from a preliminary communication by Taylor & Witts (1958). The present paper deals with the secretion of HCl and pepsin in experimental iron deficiency in the rat and with histological studies of its gastro-intestinal tract. Observations on the secretion of intrinsic factor in experimental iron deficiency will be reported in a subsequent paper.