Causes of Iron Overload

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Abstract
IN people of Northern European descent, hereditary hemochromatosis is a common cause of iron overload. In the United States, Australia, and Europe, the frequency of the gene is approximately 5 percent, with 0.2 to 0.7 percent of the population being homozygous and 8 to 14 percent heterozygous.1 The discrepancy between this high prevalence and the actual frequency of diagnosis of hemochromatosis can be attributed to lack of recognition of the disease, confusion of the symptoms with those of other diseases (e.g., chronic liver disease, congestive heart failure, diabetes, and arthritis), and incomplete phenotypic expression in some affected persons. The disease . . .