BACKGROUND/AIM [corrected] Hepcidin may play a pathogenetic role in iron metobolism disorders. The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between hepcidin concentration and parameters of iron metabolism in patients with different stage of chronic kidney disease (CKD). METHODS The study involved 104 patients with CKD: 64 on hemodialysis (HD) and 40 patients in pre-dialysis stadium ...

BACKGROUND Iron overload and hemochromatosis are common, treatable conditions. HFE genotypes, levels of serum ferritin, transferrin saturation values, and self-reported medical history were studied in a multiethnic primary care population. METHODS Participants were recruited from primary care practices and blood-drawing laboratories. Blood samples were tested for transferrin saturation, serum...

In individuals with similar body stores of iron, the amount of iron absorbed from a single oral dose is not proportional to the amount of iron administered. Although a greater amount of iron is absorbed as the size of the oral dose increases, the percentage or fraction of the dose that is absorbed actually decreases (1-3). In addition, the amount of iron absorbed from a given dose is dependent ...

BACKGROUND The literature contends that oral iron supplementation is relatively ineffective in patients who are on long-term hemodialysis (HD), and intravenous iron is the superior form of supplementation. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, AND MEASUREMENTS Data were prospectively abstracted from a cross-sectional cohort of all patients in the long-term in-center HD program at St. Michael's Hospi...

BACKGROUND Genetic hemochromatosis leads to iron overload in many tissues and may lead to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Early diagnosis and therapy are crucial. Since 80-100% of hemochromatosis patients of European origin are homozygous for a cysteine to tyrosine exchange in the HFE gene at codon 282, genetic screening might be useful. Representative population studies are neede...

BACKGROUND & AIMS Classical ferroportin disease is characterized by hyperferritinemia, normal transferrin saturation, and iron overload in macrophages. A non-classical form is characterized by additional hepatocellular iron deposits and a high transferrin saturation. Both forms demonstrate autosomal dominant transmission and are associated with ferroportin gene (SLC40A1) mutations. SLC40A1 enco...

As our understanding of iron metabolism improves through the more accurate description of iron metabolism actors, new causes of iron overload are identified. We, here, report 16 cases of hereditary hypotransferrinemia related to 4 previously undescribed TF (transferrin) mutations (p.Val221Gly, p.Arg609Trp, p.Glu370Lys, p.Tyr533X and p.Cys421Arg). We show that, besides increasing serum transferr...

BACKGROUND & AIMS Juvenile hemochromatosis (JH) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by severe early-onset iron overload, caused by mutations in hemojuvelin (HJV), hepcidin (HAMP), or a combination of genes regulating iron metabolism. Here we describe two JH cases associated with simple heterozygosity for novel HJV mutations and unknown genetic factors. Case 1: A 12 year-old mal...

The peptide hormone hepcidin is the principal regulator of systemic iron homeostasis. We examined the pathway by which iron stimulates the production of hepcidin. In humans who ingested 65 mg of iron, the increase in transferrin saturation preceded by hours the increase in urinary hepcidin excretion. Increases in urinary hepcidin concentrations were proportional to the increment in transferrin ...

Atherosclerosis To the Editor: Juan and colleagues1 showed impressive data supporting the role of hemeoxygenase-1 (HO-1) in cytoprotective response and iron homeostasis. They demonstrated that gene transfer-mediated overexpression of HO-1 in vascular cells could facilitate iron metabolism and attenuate atherogenesis in mice prone to develop premature and severe atherosclerosis. It is believed t...