Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword by Anthony S. Tavill
- Preface
- 1 History of iron overload disorders
- 2 Normal iron absorption and metabolism
- 3 Iron toxicity
- 4 Tests for hemochromatosis and iron overload
- 5 Complications of hemochromatosis and iron overload
- 6 Insulin resistance and iron overload
- 7 Infections and immunity
- 8 Classical and atypical HFE hemochromatosis
- 9 Heterozygosity for HFE C282Y
- 10 Porphyria cutanea tarda
- 11 Mitochondrial mutations as modifiers of hemochromatosis
- 12 Hemochromatosis associated with ferroportin gene (SLC40A1) mutations
- 13 Hemochromatosis associated with hemojuvelin gene (HJV) mutations
- 14 Hemochromatosis associated with hepcidin gene (HAMP) mutations
- 15 Hemochromatosis associated with transferrin receptor-2 gene (TFR2) mutations
- 16 Iron overload associated with IRE mutation of ferritin heavy-chain gene (FTH1)
- 17 Hereditary hyperferritinemia-cataract syndrome: IRE mutations of ferritin light-chain gene (FTL)
- 18 Iron overload in Native Africans and African-Americans
- 19 Hereditary atransferrinemia
- 20 Divalent metal transporter-1 (SLC11A2) iron overload
- 21 Iron overload associated with thalassemia syndromes
- 22 Iron overload associated with hemoglobinopathies
- 23 Iron overload associated with pyruvate kinase deficiency
- 24 Iron overload associated with congenital dyserythropoietic anemias
- 25 Hereditary sideroblastic anemias
- 26 Pearson marrow–pancreas syndrome
- 27 Acquired sideroblastic anemias
- 28 Hereditary aceruloplasminemia
- 29 Friedreich ataxia and cardiomyopathy
- 30 Pantothenate kinase (PANK2)-associated neurodegeneration
- 31 Neuroferritinopathies
- 32 GRACILE syndrome
- 33 Neonatal hemochromatosis
- 34 Iron overload due to excessive supplementation
- 35 Localized iron overload
- 36 Management of iron overload
- 37 Population screening for hemochromatosis
- 38 Ethical, legal, and social implications
- 39 Directions for future research
- Index
- Plate section
- References
37 - Population screening for hemochromatosis
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 June 2011
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword by Anthony S. Tavill
- Preface
- 1 History of iron overload disorders
- 2 Normal iron absorption and metabolism
- 3 Iron toxicity
- 4 Tests for hemochromatosis and iron overload
- 5 Complications of hemochromatosis and iron overload
- 6 Insulin resistance and iron overload
- 7 Infections and immunity
- 8 Classical and atypical HFE hemochromatosis
- 9 Heterozygosity for HFE C282Y
- 10 Porphyria cutanea tarda
- 11 Mitochondrial mutations as modifiers of hemochromatosis
- 12 Hemochromatosis associated with ferroportin gene (SLC40A1) mutations
- 13 Hemochromatosis associated with hemojuvelin gene (HJV) mutations
- 14 Hemochromatosis associated with hepcidin gene (HAMP) mutations
- 15 Hemochromatosis associated with transferrin receptor-2 gene (TFR2) mutations
- 16 Iron overload associated with IRE mutation of ferritin heavy-chain gene (FTH1)
- 17 Hereditary hyperferritinemia-cataract syndrome: IRE mutations of ferritin light-chain gene (FTL)
- 18 Iron overload in Native Africans and African-Americans
- 19 Hereditary atransferrinemia
- 20 Divalent metal transporter-1 (SLC11A2) iron overload
- 21 Iron overload associated with thalassemia syndromes
- 22 Iron overload associated with hemoglobinopathies
- 23 Iron overload associated with pyruvate kinase deficiency
- 24 Iron overload associated with congenital dyserythropoietic anemias
- 25 Hereditary sideroblastic anemias
- 26 Pearson marrow–pancreas syndrome
- 27 Acquired sideroblastic anemias
- 28 Hereditary aceruloplasminemia
- 29 Friedreich ataxia and cardiomyopathy
- 30 Pantothenate kinase (PANK2)-associated neurodegeneration
- 31 Neuroferritinopathies
- 32 GRACILE syndrome
- 33 Neonatal hemochromatosis
- 34 Iron overload due to excessive supplementation
- 35 Localized iron overload
- 36 Management of iron overload
- 37 Population screening for hemochromatosis
- 38 Ethical, legal, and social implications
- 39 Directions for future research
- Index
- Plate section
- References
Summary
Before the 1980s, hemochromatosis was thought to be an uncommon disorder, but severe iron overload was common in case series of white patients diagnosed to have “classical” hemochromatosis in medical care. A high proportion of 2851 hemochromatosis patients located using patient advocacy groups, physicians, blood centers, newsletters, and the internet reported on a questionnaire that they had symptoms or other problems that were interpreted as complications of iron overload. Thus, it was generally presumed for many years that most whites with hemochromatosis would eventually develop injurious iron overload. Accordingly, large-scale population screening using iron phenotyping of white populations was promoted to achieve early diagnosis and permit timely treatment to alleviate iron overload.
A pioneering screening study of 11,065 presumably healthy Utah blood donors revealed a high prevalence of hemochromatosis homozygotes defined by a persistently high serum transferrin saturation level and post-initial screening evaluations of iron stores. Since the description of the HFE gene in 1996, it has been possible to screen for the genotype HFE C282Y homozygosity (and serum iron measures) associated with “classical” hemochromatosis. Additional large-scale genetic screening studies have been performed in southern California, Norway, North America, and Australia. Outcomes of large-scale screening programs to detect HFE hemochromatosis and iron overload are summarized herein (Table 37.1). The potential value of targeted screening is also described.
Large-scale screening programs
Utah blood donors
In a landmark study of the 1980s, 11,065 presumably healthy volunteer blood donors in Utah were screened using an elevated transferrin saturation criterion.
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- Handbook of Iron Overload Disorders , pp. 342 - 346Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2010