title: Primary hypothyroidism and multiple endocrine failure in association with hemochromatosis in a long-term hemodialysis patient.
abstract: A 56-year-old male patient on chronic hemodialysis developed liver cirrhosis. He received a total of 20 liters of blood transfusion. Bronze pigmentation of the skin and iron deposition to the liver, spleen, pancreas and thyroid gland, which was demonstrated by computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging studies, and histological demonstration of iron deposition to the thyroid gland, bone marrow and gastric mucosa established a diagnosis of secondary hemochromatosis. Endocrine work-up revealed the presence of diabetes mellitus with minimum insulin secretory response, primary (or thyroprivic) hypothyroidism, hypoparathyroidism and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. A wide-spread endocrine involvement as seen in this patient is a rare clinical feature of hemochromatosis secondary to massive blood transfusion in hemodialysis patients. Particularly, primary hypothyroidism due to iron deposition to the thyroid gland was quite a rare feature of hemochromatosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shirota
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shinoda
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aizawa
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mizukami
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Katakura
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takasu
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamada
mesh_terms: D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000209:etiology; D006432:Hemochromatosis / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D007006:Hypogonadism / Q000209:etiology; D007011:Hypoparathyroidism / Q000209:etiology; D007037:Hypothyroidism / Q000209:etiology*; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000628:therapy; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D065227:Transfusion Reaction