MECHANISMS OF NATURAL ACCLIMATIZATION Observations on the Iron Metabolism and the Free Protoporphyrins of the Erythrocytes in the Polycythemia of High Altitudes

摘要

Observations on the iron metabolism, by means of the administration of Fe39, and on the concentration of free protoporphyrins in the circulating red cells were made on four -groups of subjects: (1) men living at sea level, (2) native residents at an altitude of 14,900 feet, (3) men taken to high altitude for a tem¬porary exposure, and (4) subjects studied at sea level after their return from a six-month period of exposure to high altitudes.nAn increase of the erythropoietic activity which was observed in the group of residents at high altitude was even more accentuated during the first few days of exposure to the low-pressure environment. A depression of the erythropoietic activity was found, however, on their return to sea level.nAn increase of the free erythro-protoporphyrins was found both in the men living perma¬nently and in those dwelling temporarily at high altitudes. A tendency to decrease the amount of this pigment was found in the men returning to sea level.