Endocrinopathy of HFE-related hemochromatosis

Abstract

Hereditary hemochromatosis is a condition affecting many organs, as reflected by the fact that it is managed variably by hematologists, gastroenterologists, rheumatologists and endocrinologists, depending on local preferences. A potential pitfall of this approach is that certain aspects of diagnosis and management may be overlooked, particularly if they fall beyond the normal scope of practice of the specialist physician concerned. The purpose of this article is to review the nature of the endocrine complications of hereditary hemochromatosis, which have changed dramatically since the condition was first described over 100 years ago.

Keywords::

• adrenal
• diabetes
• endocrinopathy
• hemochromatosis
• hereditary hypogonadism
• iron
• pituitary thyroid