Current approach to hereditary hemochromatosis

Hereditary hemochromatosis refers to several inherited disorders of the iron metabolism that lead to tissue iron overload. Classical hereditary hemochromatosis is associated with mutations of the HFE gene (C282Y homozygotes or C282Y/H63D compound heterozygotes) and is almost exclusively found in populations of northern European descent. Non-HFE-associated hereditary hemochromatosis is caused by mutations in other recently identified genes involved in the iron metabolism. Hepcidin is an iron regulatory hormone that inhibits ferroportin-mediated iron export from enterocytes and macrophages. Defective hepcidin gene expression or function may underlie most forms of hereditary hemochromatosis. Target organs and tissues affected by hereditary hemochromatosis include the liver, heart, pancreas, joints, and skin, with cirrhosis and diabetes mellitus representing late signs of disease in patients with very high liver iron concentrations. Patients with an established diagnosis of hereditary hemochromatosis and iron overload should be treated with phlebotomy to achieve body iron depletion followed by maintenance phlebotomy. The most frequent causes of death in hereditary hemochromatosis are liver cancer, cirrhosis, cardiomyopathy, and diabetes. However, patients who undergo successful iron depletion before developing cirrhosis or diabetes can have normal life expectancy.