Clinical cofactors and hepatic fibrosis in hereditary hemochromatosis: The role of diabetes mellitus

Marnie J. Wood, Lawrie W. Powell, Jeannette L. Dixon, Grant A. Ramm

The risk of hepatic fibrosis and cirrhosis in hereditary hemochromatosis relates to the degree of iron loading, but iron alone does not explain the variability in disease penetrance. This study sought to identify clinical cofactors that increase the risk of progressive liver disease. We identified 291 patients from our database who were homozygous for the C282Y mutation in HFE and had undergone a liver biopsy with quantification of hepatic iron concentration (HIC) and fibrosis staging. Data were collected from a retrospective chart review, including age, gender, alcohol consumption, medical therapy, smoking history, metabolic risk factors, mobilizable iron, and laboratory results. Male gender, excess alcohol consumption, HIC, and the presence of diabetes were independently associated with increasing fibrosis stage in multivariate analysis. Of these, the presence of diabetes showed the strongest association (odds ratio, 7.32; P = 0.03). The presence of steatosis was associated with higher fibrosis scores, but this was of borderline statistical significance. Risk factors for hepatic steatosis were male gender, impaired glucose tolerance, and increased body mass index.