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[Yersinia bacteremia and iron overload]
L Piroth1, P Meyer, P Bielefeld
1Service de médecine interne et maladies systémiques, CHU, hôpital général, Dijon, France.
La Revue De Medecine Interne
|January 1, 1997
Summary
Yersinia bacteremia often indicates underlying iron overload, with 40% prevalence found in this study. This suggests iron
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Hematology
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- Yersinia bacteremia is a serious infection.
- Iron overload is a known risk factor for infections.
- The link between Yersinia and iron overload requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of iron overload in patients with Yersinia bacteremia.
- To highlight the clinical significance of iron status in Yersinia infections.
- To investigate the role of iron in the pathogenesis of Yersinia infections.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective multicentric study.
- Analysis of 97 Yersinia bacteremia cases (1990-1996).
- Review of available patient data and iron status investigations.
Main Results:
- Underlying iron overload was found in 40% of researched cases.
- This prevalence is significantly higher than previously reported (1.8-14%).
- Yersinia enterocolitica was the causal agent in all identified iron overload cases.
Conclusions:
- Yersinia bacteremia should be considered an indicator of potential iron overload.
- Iron overload should be investigated in patients with Yersinia infections.
- Yersinia infections should be suspected in febrile patients with hemochromatosis.