For example, Zein et al. In this study, the authors studied 429 patients in Italy with chronic hepatitis C including 109 with cirrhosis. The patients with cirrhosis were followed prospectively to assess the role of HCV genotype on disease outcome. Clinical and biochemical abnormalities in people heterozygous for hemochromatosis. New England Journal of Medicine.
Hereditary hemochromatosis is an autosomal recessive disease.
The responsible gene is located on chromosome 6 and tightly linked to HLA class I genes. Homozygous individuals develop complications of iron overload including, among others, cirrhosis of the liver. The comparison group was 321 genetically normal individuals from the same families. Mean serum iron concentrations and transferrin-saturation values were higher in the heterozygotes than in the normal subjects but did not increase with age. Mean serum ferritin concentrations were also higher in hemochromatosis heterozygotes than in normal subjects.