Hemochromatosis, multiorgan hemosiderosis, and coronary artery disease.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) in autopsies of patients with iron-overload syndromes.


METHODS
Retrospective autopsy study of CAD in cases of hemochromatosis and multiorgan hemosiderosis.


METHODS
Registry of nearly 48,000 autopsies performed at The Johns Hopkins Hospital between 1889 and 1992.


METHODS
One hundred twenty-three subjects were studied. In a 2:1 control-case ratio, 82 controls matched by age, race, and sex were compared with 41 cases with iron overload.


METHODS
Severity of CAD.


RESULTS
Pathological description of the coronary arteries were recorded as advanced or severe in 12% of iron-overload cases (n = 41) (mean age, 57.6 +/- 13.2 years) compared with 38% of controls (n = 82) (mean age, 57.0 +/- 13.8 years) (P = .01). The prevalence of three-vessel disease assessed by postmortem coronary arteriography was 11.1% in iron-overload cases (n = 18) (mean age, 61.7 +/- 12.2 years) compared with 33.3% in controls (n = 36) (mean age, 61.1 +/- 12.5 years) (P = .04). The odds ratio of CAD with iron overload was 0.18 (95% confidence interval, 0.04 to 0.73).


CONCLUSIONS
Iron overload resulting from hemochromatosis or multiorgan hemosiderosis is not associated with an increased prevalence of CAD.
Miller
M
M
Division of Cardiology, University of Maryland Medical System, Baltimore.
Hutchins
G M
GM
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001344:Autopsy; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006432:Hemochromatosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D006486:Hemosiderosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies