|
|
Article: Chronic iron overload and toxicity: Clinical chemistry perspective
- Article from:
- Clinical Laboratory Science
- Article date:
- July 1, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science Summer 2001. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
|
FOCUS: IRON OVERLOAD
The content of body iron is regulated primarily by absorption since humans have no physiological mechanism by which excess iron is excreted. This regulation, however, is not absolute. Many factors such as the content of diets, iron doses, life styles, etc. influence iron absorption. In the past, nutrition programs for iron fortification and the ingestion of iron preparations have been widely practiced because of the seriousness of worldwide iron deficiency. Also, we now know that a significant number of asymptomatic people carry the hemochromatosis gene, HFE, indicating that these people have the potential to accumulate excess body iron in their lifetime. Excess body ...