Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Iron overload
Introduction
Overview
Overview
In medicine, iron overload disorders are diseases caused by the accumulation of iron in the body. Organs commonly affected are the liver, heart and endocrine glands.[1]
Causes
Causes
The causes can be distinguished between primary (generally genetic) and secondary (due to other conditions).[2]
Primary iron overload
| Description | OMIM | Mutation |
| Haemochromatosis type 1: “classical”-haemochromatosis | 235200 | HFE |
| Haemochromatosis type 2A: juvenile haemochromatosis | 602390 | hemojuvelin (“HJV”, also known as HFE2) |
| Haemochromatosis type 2B: juvenile haemochromatosis | 606464 | hepcidin antimicrobial peptide (HAMP) or HFE2B |
| Haemochromatosis type 3 | 604720 | transferrin receptor-2 (TFR2 or HFE3) |
| Haemochromatosis type 4 | 604653 | ferroportin (SLC11A3) |
| Neonatal haemochromatosis | 231100 | (unknown) |
| Aceruloplasminaemia (rare disease) | 604290 | ceruloplasmin |
| Congenital atransferrinaemia (rare disease) | 209300 | transferrin |
Secondary iron overload
- Dietary iron overload
- Increased intake of drugs such as ferrous gluconate.
- Transfusional iron overload
- Long term haemodialysis
- Chronic liver disease
- Hepatitis C
- Alcoholic cirrhosis, especially when advanced
- Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis
- Porphyria cutanea tarda
- Post-portacaval shunting
- Dysmetabolic iron overload syndrome
Miscellaneous
The part-genetic, part-environmental syndrome known as African iron overload in sub-Sahara Africa (Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) 601195)
References
References
- ↑ Andrews NC (1999). “Disorders of iron metabolism”. N. Engl. J. Med. 341 (26): 1986–95. PMID 10607817.
- ↑ Pietrangelo A (2003). “Haemochromatosis”. Gut. 52 Suppl 2: ii23–30. PMID 12651879.
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]