Hemochromatosis-associated morbidity in the United States: an analysis of the National Hospital Discharge Survey, 1979-1997.
OBJECTIVE
The recent discovery of the HFE gene and its association with hereditary hemochromatosis has renewed the attention directed to iron-overload diseases. Population screening for hereditary hemochromatosis is under debate, and population-based estimates of morbidity associated with hereditary hemochromatosis are needed. The purpose of this study is to estimate the number of hemochromatosis-associated hospitalizations in the United States using a population-based dataset.


METHODS
National Hospital Discharge Survey and census data were used to estimate hemochromatosis-associated hospitalization rates for persons 18 years of age and over.


RESULTS
From 1979 through 1997, the rate of hemochromatosis-associated hospitalizations was 2.3 per 100,000 persons in the United States. The rate among persons 60 years of age and over increased more than 60% during this time period.


CONCLUSIONS
The increase in the rate of hereditary hemochromatosis-associated hospitalizations among older persons is consistent with recent trends in mortality data and may reflect the rising awareness of iron-overload disorders in the United States.
Office of Genetics and Disease Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mailstop K-28, 4770 Buford Hwy NE, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA.
A S
AS
Brown
M
M
Gwinn
M E
ME
Cogswell
M J
MJ
Khoury
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006432:Hemochromatosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D014481:United States