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Liver iron stores in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus
S F Dinneen1, J D Silverberg, K P Batts
1Division of Endocrinology/Metabolism and Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic Rochester, MN 55905.
Background:
Iron overload such as that in idiopathic hemochromatosis is a well-established, albeit rare, cause of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Most patients with NIDDM have no recognized cause of their disease. Investigators have proposed that subclinical iron overload may cause diabetes mellitus in a substantial number of patients with NIDDM.
Objective:
The aim of the current study was to evaluate hepatic iron stores in autopsy specimens from a group of community residents with NIDDM.
Methods:
Fifteen patients with NIDDM and 17 age-matched control subjects were identified from a review of medical records of decreased residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota. Formalin-fixed liver tissue was analyzed for iron concentration by flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometry, and distribution of hepatic iron was determined histochemically.
Results:
No significant difference was found in either the distribution or the mean amount of hepatic iron between the diabetic and the control group (1,303 versus 1,349 micrograms Fe/g dry weight; P = 0.87). Thus, the mean difference was -46 micrograms Fe/g dry weight (confidence interval, -631 to 540).
Conclusion:
Because hepatic iron quantification is the definitive means of assessing total body iron stores, our results suggest that NIDDM is typically not associated with a substantial level of iron overload.