African iron overload
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| African iron overload Classification and external resources |
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| OMIM | 601195 |
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African iron overload, formerly known as Bantu siderosis, is an iron overload disorder first observed among people of African descent in Southern Africa.
[edit] Causes
Originally, this was blamed on ungalvanised barrels used to store home-made beer, which led to increased oxidation and increased iron levels in the beer. Further investigation has shown that only some people drinking this sort of beer get an iron overload syndrome, and that a similar syndrome occurred in people of African descent who have had no contact with this kind of beer (e.g., African Americans). [1]
This led investigators to the discovery of a gene polymorphism in the gene for ferroportin, which predisposes some people of African descent to iron overload. [2]
Polymorphisms in SLC40A1 have recently been investigated in Americans of African descent.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ Gordeuk V, Mukiibi J, Hasstedt SJ, et al (January 1992). "Iron overload in Africa. Interaction between a gene and dietary iron content". N. Engl. J. Med. 326 (2): 95–100. PMID 1727237.
- ^ Gordeuk VR, Caleffi A, Corradini E, et al (2003). "Iron overload in Africans and African-Americans and a common mutation in the SCL40A1 (ferroportin 1) gene". Blood Cells Mol. Dis. 31 (3): 299–304. PMID 14636642.
- ^ Barton JC, Acton RT, Lee PL, West C (2007). "SLC40A1 Q248H allele frequencies and Q248H-associated risk of non-HFE iron overload in persons of sub-Saharan African descent". Blood Cells Mol. Dis. 39 (2): 206–11. doi:. PMID 17490902.
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