title: Hyperferritinemia and iron overload in type 1 Gaucher disease.
abstract: Hyperferritinemia occurs in Gaucher disease but its clinical spectrum or its association with systemic iron overload and HFE mutations are not known. In 114 patients with Type 1 Gaucher disease, we determined serum ferritin, transferrin saturation and HFE genotype. The results were correlated with the extent of hepatosplenomegaly, overall Gaucher disease severity score index, and response to enzyme replacement therapy. In a subset of patients with radiological and/or laboratory evidence of systemic iron overload, liver biopsy was performed. There was a mean 3.7-fold elevation of serum ferritin over the upper limit of normal (ULN). Prior splenectomy was associated with most severe hyperferritinemia compared to patients with intact spleen (6.53 x ULN vs. 2.69 x ULN, P = 0.003). HFE genotyping revealed two patients homozygous for H63D mutation and 30% of patients heterozygote carriers of H63D mutation; no patients harbored C282Y mutation; there was no correlation of ferritin with HFE genotype. Ferritin level correlated with liver volume (Pearson correlation coefficient = 0.254, P = 0.035) and it was negatively correlated with hemoglobin (r = -0.315, P = 0.004); there was no relationship with other indicators of Gaucher disease activity. Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) resulted in amelioration of hyperferritinemia: 707 +/- 898 ng/ml vs. 301 +/- 310 ng/ml (P = 0.001), transferrin saturation remained normal. Three patients were suspected of clinical iron overload, confirmed on liver biopsy. Iron accumulation was variably noted in hepatocytes and Kupffer cells. There is a high prevalence of hyperferritinemia in Type 1 Gaucher disease that is associated with indicators of disease severity, reversed by ERT and is not related to HFE mutations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Yale School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.forename: Hannah
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Dhanpat
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jain
authors.forename: Pramod K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Mistry
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D056947:Enzyme Replacement Therapy; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood* / Q000187:drug effects; D005776:Gaucher Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D000071020:Hemochromatosis Protein; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D019190:Iron Overload; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013163:Splenomegaly; D014168:Transferrin / Q000032:analysis; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: C103673:HFE protein, human; D000071020:Hemochromatosis Protein; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D014168:Transferrin; D005293:Ferritins