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Long-term survival analysis in hereditary hemochromatosis.

This study investigated the long-term survival rates of 85 patients with hereditary hemochromatosis. Eighty-five patients with documented hereditary hemochromatosis diagnosed between 1958 and 1989 and followed up at the University Hospital (University of Western Ontario) medical center were retrospectively reviewed for this analysis. The current status of the patient was assessed by interview or written questionnaire completed by the patient or the family physician. Estimates of differences in survival rates were obtained using Kaplan-Meier life-table and Cox regression analysis. Liver histology, clinical features of the disease, and number of venesections were analyzed to determine their relationship to survival. In the course of a mean follow-up interval of 8.1 +/- 6.8 years (range, 0-31 years), there were 17 deaths among the 85 hemochromatosis patients. Patients with cirrhosis at the time of diagnosis were 5.5 times more likely to die than noncirrhotic patients. Patients who were noncirrhotic at the time of diagnosis had an estimated survival that was not significantly different from age- and sex-matched members of the normal population. Diabetes did not increase the risk of death after data were controlled for the presence of cirrhosis. Early diagnosis and treatment of hemochromatosis in the precirrhotic stage can lead to long-term survival similar to that in the general population. The presence of cirrhosis significantly increases mortality and is the major clinical factor affecting survival.

Aged↗

Genetic mapping of the hemochromatosis locus on chromosome six.

The purpose of this paper is to report a pedigree with hereditary hemochromatosis in which a recombination between the HLA-A and B loci occurred. Both the maternal and paternal HLA-A3, B7 haplotypes were carrying an allele for hemochromatosis. The A3, B12 haplotype of the proband was a recombinant of the maternal A3, B7 and A28, B12 haplotypes. The hemochromatosis locus segregated with the HLA-A locus and not with the HLA-B locus. Thus, the hemochromatosis locus maps in close proximity to the HLA-A locus.

Adult↗

[Association of hereditary hemochromatosis and pernicious anaemia].

INTRODUCTION: Hereditary hemochromatosis is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait. It is characterized by increased absorption of dietary iron. The association between pernicious anaemia and hereditary hemochromatosis has never been described. EXEGESIS: We report a case of paradoxical association of hereditary hemochromatosis and pernicious anaemia. CONCLUSION: It seems that pernicious anaemia may prevent manifestations of hemochromatosis. We suppose that this protective role is due to atrophic body gastritis with iron malabsorption.

Aged↗

Hemochromatosis screening in asymptomatic ambulatory men 30 years of age and older.

OBJECTIVE: To perform a cost-benefit analysis of screening for hereditary hemochromatosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 3,977 consecutive men > or = 30 years of age who presented for routine health checkups at a health maintenance organization medical center were screened for hereditary hemochromatosis by measuring transferrin saturation. Subjects with repeated transferrin saturation > or = 62% and ferritin level > or = 500 ng/mL (> or = 500 micrograms/L) were referred for liver biopsy. Subjects with transferrin saturation < 15% were referred for evaluation. Laboratory testing, screening, and abnormal screening test evaluation procedures were identified by chart review. RESULTS: Forty patients had transferrin saturation > or = 62%. One hundred seventy-two had transferrin saturation < 15%. Eight patients with hemochromatosis were identified. The 3 patients most seriously affected had hepatic iron concentrations > 250 mumol/g dry weight. Two of them had hepatic fibrosis. Seven cases of hemochromatosis were found among 1,974 white subjects who were screened. Only 1 case was found among the remaining subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Our observations support routine screening with transferrin saturation for white men > or = 30 years of age.

Adult↗

Low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D in hereditary hemochromatosis: relation to iron status.

Under normal conditions, vitamin D absorbed from the diet or synthesized in the skin is transported to the liver where it undergoes hydroxylation. The purpose of this study was to determine whether excess hepatic iron affects this process and the subsequent production of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25-[OH]2D) in the kidney. Mean serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) concentrations in untreated hereditary hemochromatosis were 13 +/- 6 (SD) in 9 patients with cirrhosis, 13 +/- 6 in 5 patients with hepatic fibrosis, and 22 +/- 6 in 10 patients with normal hepatic architecture aside from siderosis and were significantly lower than the levels found in 24 controls matched for age, sex, and season, p less than 0.05. The mean serum 25-OHD levels in the two groups with hemochromatosis and hepatic damage were significantly lower than the value in the group with normal hepatic architecture, p less than 0.05. Serum 25-OHD levels in individual patients were inversely related to the size of body iron stores as measured by exchangeable body iron, r = -0.64, or serum ferritin, r = -0.47, p less than 0.05. In 15 patients removal of excess body iron by venesection therapy produced a significant increase in the mean serum 25-OHD from 20 ng/ml to 30 ng/ml, p less than 0.05. In contrast, mean serum 1,25-[OH]2D levels were similar in iron-loaded and control subjects, indicating that the regulation of this metabolite was intact in patients with hemochromatosis. The results reveal that the low serum 25-OHD concentration in patients with hemochromatosis is directly related to the extent of iron loading and it is improved by venesection therapy.

Aspartate Aminotransferases↗

Expression of HLA-linked hemochromatosis in subjects homozygous or heterozygous for the C282Y mutation.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: In the absence of a genetic test, diagnostic criteria for hereditary hemochromatosis have been imprecise. The identification of the HFE gene and the C282Y mutation allow definition of expression of this disease and reassessment of diagnostic criteria. The aim of this study was to analyze the concordance between the genetic diagnosis and the previous clinical diagnosis in families with hemochromatosis. METHODS: Three hundred subjects were tested for the C282Y mutation and were grouped as homozygous, heterozygous, or homozygous normal. RESULTS: All adults previously diagnosed as homozygous or heterozygous for HLA-linked hereditary hemochromatosis carried at least one C282Y mutation. Two adolescents, previously thought to be homozygous, had no C282Y mutation. Of 127 subjects homozygous for the mutation, 105 met criteria for diagnosis. Iron overload was not expressed in 6.7% of homozygous men and 32.7% of homozygous women. The iron indices in 8 of 171 subjects heterozygous for the C282Y mutation were within the range previously regarded as indicative of homozygosity. Seven of these 8 carried the H63D mutation. CONCLUSIONS: In Australia, 17.3% of subjects homozygous for the C282Y mutation do not express iron overload to meet current diagnostic criteria of hemochromatosis. In subjects heterozygous for the mutation, 4.8% have iron overload in the range previously diagnosed as homozygous. Nonexpression is common, particularly in women.

Adolescent↗

[Hip arthroplasty in genetic hemochromatosis. Report of 5 cases].

INTRODUCTION: Half of the patients with genetic hemochromatosis will have arthritis. Two of these articular involvements are well-known: the arthropathy involving the phalangeal and the metacarpophalangeal joints of the hand, useful for diagnosis, and hip arthropathy. Iron deposits seem to be involved in articular cartilage destruction. EXEGESIS: We report five cases of patients with hemochromatosis hip involvement. Hip arthropathy revealed hemochromatosis in one case and appeared despite efficient phlebotomies in another case. Three of these patients required hip arthroplasty. CONCLUSION: Hip arthropathy remains a frequent but unknown event in genetic hemochromatosis (12.5%) and it involves the functional prognosis.

Aged↗

Cardiac iron deposition in idiopathic hemochromatosis: histologic and analytic assessment of 14 hearts from autopsy.

In each heart taken from autopsies of 14 men with idiopathic hemochromatosis, the conduction system, atria and 10 sites in the ventricles were histologically graded for stainable iron. Stainable iron was exclusively sarcoplasmic; none was observed in the interstitium. The histologic grade for the same anatomic site varied among hearts and among different anatomic sites in the same heart. Ten hearts had stainable iron in all ventricular sites; one of the three hearts from patients who had undergone therapeutic phlebotomy had no iron at any site. Seven hearts had iron in the atria but at a lesser grade than that found in the ventricles; six hearts had mild focal iron deposition in the atrioventricular conduction system. None of the 14 hearts had stainable iron in the sinus node. Elemental iron was quantitated by atomic absorption spectroscopy in ventricular specimens contiguous to those studied histologically and also in age-matched control hearts. Elemental iron content was markedly increased in hearts with idiopathic hemochromatosis compared with control hearts (p less than 0.01). The quantity of elemental iron varied greatly, similar to stainable iron, but was highest subepicardially. Among the hearts from the 11 patients without prior phlebotomy, three had no stainable iron in the right ventricular septal subendocardium, suggesting that sampling error may be a problem in the evaluation of hemochromatosis by endomyocardial biopsy. The sarcoplasmic location of the iron indicates that cardiac involvement in idiopathic hemochromatosis represents a storage disease and not an infiltrative process; this finding is consistent with the normal ventricular wall thicknesses observed.

Adult↗

Evaluation of a workplace hemochromatosis screening program.

Hemochromatosis is a common inherited disorder of iron metabolism with significant health consequences for the employed population. Although screening for hemochromatosis has been recommended, workplace screening programs remain uncommon. In the first year of a newly initiated corporate screening program, 1968 employees were tested. The screening algorithm included measurement of serum iron and transferrin and subsequent ferritin levels in those employees with elevated iron/transferrin ratios. Thirteen percent of men and 21% of women had elevated iron/transferrin ratios. Of these, 14 men and 2 women had elevated ferritin levels. Of these 16, three had liver biopsies and all three have hemochromatosis. The cost of the screening program was $27,850. The cost per diagnosis was $9283 and the cost per year of life saved was $928. These costs compare very favorably with other common workplace screening programs. Several barriers to obtaining definitive diagnoses on all patients with a positive screening result were identified; strategies to overcome these barriers would further enhance the cost effectiveness of the program. We conclude that workplace hemochromatosis screening is highly cost effective and should be incorporated into health promotion/disease prevention programs.

Adult↗

Syncope and inducible ventricular fibrillation in a woman with hemochromatosis.

BACKGROUND: Hemochromatosis has been associated with atrial tachyarrhythmias and congestive heart failure as a consequence of dilated or restrictive cardiomyopathy. Inducible ventricular fibrillation has not been previously described. METHODS AND RESULTS: An electrophysiologic study was conducted in a woman after two episodes of syncope. Polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (PMVT) and ventricular fibrillation (VF) were induced with ventricular programmed stimulation. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated signal loss in the liver consistent with hemochromatosis, but normal cardiac size and function. Hematologic studies supported a diagnosis of hemochromatosis. CONCLUSION: Cardiac hemochromatosis may be associated with serious ventricular arrhythmias.

Echocardiography↗

Hemochromatosis probands as blood donors.

BACKGROUND: There has been no estimate of the potential eligibility of hemochromatosis probands or patients as blood donors or the suitability for transfusion of their blood that was removed by therapeutic phlebotomy. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: According to guidelines of the American Association of Blood Banks, a retrospective estimate of these factors in 211 adult white hemochromatosis probands diagnosed during routine medical care was performed. The findings were compared to those in volunteer white whole-blood donors. RESULTS: Before diagnosis of hemochromatosis, 49 probands had voluntarily donated 597 units of blood; 88 percent were donated by men. After diagnosis, 142 (67%) of 211 probands were potentially eligible. Data on each unit removed during iron-depletion therapy and during the first year of maintenance therapy (therapeutic phlebotomy) were available in 86 eligible probands. Of 1592 units, 1029 (65%) obtained during iron-depletion therapy in eligible probands were potentially suitable; 86 percent were from men. During maintenance therapy, 106 (88%) of 121 units from eligible probands were potentially suitable. In volunteer donors, 255,567 (94%) of 273,302 presenting donors were accepted. After testing and laboratory losses, 239,300 (94%) units were acceptable for transfusion. CONCLUSIONS: In comparison with normal volunteers, hemochromatosis probands at diagnosis are less likely to be eligible as blood donors. The percentage of units obtained from patients during iron-depletion therapy that are suitable for transfusion is also lower, although the percentage increases during maintenance therapy.

Adult↗

Hemochromatosis subjects as allogeneic blood donors: a prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Persons with hemochromatosis constitute a plentiful and willing source of blood for transfusion. A program was established and evaluated for treating persons with hemochromatosis in a donor center and making their blood available for transfusion. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Phlebotomy therapy was performed free of charge regardless of whether subjects met criteria for allogeneic donation. A Hb level of 12.5 g per dL was used as the threshold for performing phlebotomy, and decreases in the MCV were used to guide the endpoints of therapy. RESULTS: A total of 130 subjects were consecutively enrolled: 74 percent were homozygous for the C282Y mutation in the HFE gene, 76 percent met eligibility criteria for allogeneic donation, and 55 percent were previous blood donors. A median of 20 weekly or biweekly phlebotomies (range, 7-99) were performed before the MCV reached the targeted endpoint of 3 percent below baseline, at which time the ferritin level was less than 30 microg per L and the transferrin saturation was less than 30 percent. The median phlebotomy interval necessary to keep the MCV at this level during maintenance therapy was 10 weeks. No incident seroconversions for agents of transfusion-transmissible disease occurred during 1402 donations. All subjects testing positive for viral agents gave a prior history of deferrable risk. Twenty-seven months after starting the program, hemochromatosis donors were contributing 14 percent of the RBC units collected for allogeneic use. CONCLUSIONS: Hemochromatosis subjects can safely and significantly augment the allogeneic blood supply. Provision of phlebotomy therapy unrestricted by considerations of cost or suitability for donation can improve access to care and remove incentives for incomplete risk disclosure.

Adult↗

Long-term survival in patients with hereditary hemochromatosis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The course of hereditary hemochromatosis may depend on the degree of iron overload and the time of therapeutic intervention. This analysis evaluates the impact of early diagnosis and iron removal on survival and complications in hereditary hemochromatosis. METHODS: A Cohort of 251 patients with hemochromatosis was followed up for 14.1 +/- 6.8 years. RESULTS: Survival was reduced in the total group of patients when compared with a matched normal population. Survival in noncirrhotic and nondiabetic patients and in patients diagnosed between 1982 and 1991 was identical with rates expected. Survival was reduced in patients with severe iron overload vs. those with less severe overload. The percentage of early diagnoses increased threefold between 1947 and 1969 to that between 1970 and 1981; there was only a further 20%-25% increase in the last decade. Deaths caused by liver cancer, cardiomyopathy, liver cirrhosis, and diabetes mellitus were increased as compared with expected rates. Liver cancers were associated with cirrhosis and amount of mobilizable iron but not with hepatitis B or C markers. CONCLUSIONS: Prognosis of hemochromatosis and most of its complications, including liver cancer, depend on the amount and duration of iron excess. Early diagnosis and therapy largely prevent the adverse consequences of iron overload.

Adolescent↗

Clinical and pathologic findings in hemochromatosis type 3 due to a novel mutation in transferrin receptor 2 gene.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Although most patients with hereditary hemochromatosis are homozygous for a single mutation of the HFE gene on chromosome 6p, accumulating evidence indicates that the disease is genetically heterogeneous. Type 3 hemochromatosis, recently described in 4 families, is linked to mutations of the gene encoding transferrin receptor 2 on chromosome 7q22. Here we report data from a family carrying a new mutation of the transferrin receptor 2 gene. METHODS: Detailed clinical and histopathologic documentation was available for most family members. The entire coding sequence and exon/intron boundaries of the transferrin receptor 2 gene were analyzed by direct sequencing. RESULTS: A 12-nucleotide deletion in exon 16, causing the loss of 4 amino acids (AVAQ 594-597 del), was detected at the homozygous state in the 3 patients with histologically proven iron overload. The deletion segregated with the disease within the family and was not found in 100 healthy controls. Some clinical and pathologic characteristics, such as low penetrance in the premenopausal woman, and early iron deposition in periportal hepatocytes resembled those of classic, HFE-related hemochromatosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our data support the role of the transferrin receptor 2 gene in hemochromatosis type 3 as well as its critical involvement in the maintenance of iron homeostasis in humans.

Adolescent↗

[Hemochromatosis or hemosiderosis? Initial misinterpretation of clinical symptoms and laboratory findings in a 62-year-old patient].

The exact differential diagnosis of iron overload syndromes is mandatory as important therapeutic consequences may derive from a correct diagnosis, especially when hemochromatosis is present. To facilitate diagnostic and therapeutic decisions algorithms and probabilistic calculations based on different frequencies of clinical symptoms and typical laboratory findings of the diseases in question have been proposed. Overestimation and/or underestimation of clinical symptoms and/or laboratory findings in using such calculations, however, may lead to incorrect diagnosis and therapy as demonstrated in this case. We report on a 62-year-old patient with arthralgia, pathologic glucose metabolism, brown skin pigmentation and excessively elevated ferritin and transferrin saturation levels, which initially were interpreted as signs of the assumed underlying disease (hemo-chromatosis) based on a high initial suspicion level and further corroborated by Bayesian probability analysis yielding a probability 99.0 % for the presence of hemochromatosis. Because of this high probability and the patient's wish for treatment phlebotomy was started, but stopped after having obtained negative results of genetic testing and normal quantitative liver iron values. The diagnosis of hemochromatosis had to be revised and symptoms and laboratory findings of this patient were found to be compatible with chronic fatty liver and pathologically altered iron metabolism due to chronic alcohol intake which the patient has initially concealed. The joint pain was explained in terms of chronic degenerative bone destruction, the impaired glucose tolerance seen as the consequence of obesity and the skin pigmentation was ascribed to sun exposure due to the patient's outdoor activities as a hobby farmer not evaluated during initial presentation. The implications and importance of unbiased history taking, critical interpretation of clinical symptoms and laboratory findings in using probabilistic calculations and diagnostic decision analysis are emphasized and the different mechanisms of iron metabolism in hemochromatosis and hemosiderosis are discussed.

Biopsy, Needle↗

[An older female patient with refractory anemia and hemochromatosis].

CASE HISTORY AND CLINICAL FINDINGS: A 69-year-old woman was admitted because of a normocytic anemia. One year before an acute B19 parvovirus infection had been diagnosed, but the anemia was attributed to intestinal bleeding caused by a dysplastic colonic polyp. However, anemia persisted despite polypectomy. There was an excessive elevation of serum ferritin. ADDITIONAL EXAMINATIONS: A bone marrow biopsy and aspirate led to the diagnosis of a myelodysplastic syndrome (pure sideroblastic anemia). Ultrasound demonstrated advanced fibrosis of the liver. Fibrosis in association with severe parenchymatous siderosis was also demonstrated by histology. Analysis of the hemochromatosis gene (B-HFE, nt 845, G/A) was negative. DIAGNOSIS, THERAPY AND CLINICAL COURSE: The patient had secondary hemochromatosis due to a myelodysplastic syndrome. An acute infection with parvovirus B19 had been noted at the time of the first admission, one year before MDS was diagnosed. At that time, hemochromatosis had already caused fibrosis of the liver. However, complete regression of organ siderosis was achieved by deferoxamine administration. The myelodysplastic syndrome itself did not show any progression even 7 years after the diagnosis was established. CONCLUSION: Our case demonstrates the uncommon association between sideroblastic anemia and secondary hemochromatosis. Acute parvovirus infection may induce severe anemia in myelodysplastic syndromes. In acute B19 parvovirus infections an underlying hematologic disease should be excluded.

Aged↗

Serum ferritin as a possible marker of the hemochromatosis allele.

To determine whether a correlation exists between the biochemical expression of hemochromatosis and the HLA genotype, we studied 174 family members of 32 persons with the disease. Persons who shared both HLA haplotypes with the proband (and presumably having two hemochromatosis alleles) differed significantly from those who shared only one haplotype (and presumably having one hemochromatosis allele) in terms of serum iron (P less than 0.001 for both sexes), unsaturated iron-binding capacity (P less than 0.01 for female and P less than 0.0001 for male subjects) and serum ferritin (P less than 0.0001 for female and P less than 0.00001 for male subjects). The only significant difference between relatives having one hemochromatosis allele and age and sex-matched controls was related to serum ferritin values in male subjects (P less than 0.05, despite considerable overlap). In our hands, serum ferritin was the best indicator of disordered iron metabolism and was elevated among most homozygous but among few heterozygous family members.

Adolescent↗

Prevalence of hemochromatosis among 11,065 presumably healthy blood donors.

There is evidence that iron loading and organ damage can be prevented in patients with hemochromatosis if prophylactic phlebotomy is employed early in the disease--findings emphasizing the importance of early detection before clinical signs occur. This study was designed to determine the efficacy of transferrin saturation as a screening tool for hemochromatosis and to assess the frequency of homozygosity for the HLA-linked hemochromatosis gene in a healthy population. We screened 11,065 presumably healthy blood donors (5840 men and 5225 women). Donors with transferrin saturations of 62 percent or more after an overnight fast were considered potential homozygotes and were asked to undergo liver biopsy and pedigree analysis. The frequency of values for transferrin saturation of 62 or higher in men was 0.008 and in women 0.003. Thirty-eight persons with values higher than 62 were studied in detail; 35 underwent liver biopsy. Liver iron stores ranged from normal to markedly increased. Twelve siblings with an identical HLA match to a proband underwent liver biopsy, and 11 had increased liver iron stores. According to likelihood analysis of the pedigrees, 26 of the 38 probands were homozygotes, and 12 were heterozygotes. The estimated frequency of homozygosity was based on the data in men, because the threshold value of 62 for the transferrin saturation identified only half as many female homozygotes as expected. The frequency of homozygosity was 0.0045, corresponding to a gene frequency of 0.067. The value of population screening is demonstrated in these studies by the detection of homozygotes before clinical manifestations of hemochromatosis occur.

Adolescent↗