Association of hemochromatosis with infectious diseases: expanding spectrum - PubMed (original) (raw)

Review

doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2007.04.007. Epub 2007 Jun 27.

Affiliations

Free article

Review

Association of hemochromatosis with infectious diseases: expanding spectrum

Fida A Khan et al. Int J Infect Dis. 2007 Nov.

Free article

Abstract

Withholding iron from potential pathogens is a host defense strategy. There is evidence that iron overload per se compromises the ability of phagocytes to kill microorganisms. Several hypotheses exist to explain the association of hemochromatosis with infection. A combination of mechanisms likely contributes to the increase in susceptibility to infection in these patients. A review of the current literature delineating various pathogens to which patients with hemochromatosis are potentially susceptible, and recent advances in the understanding of the association of hemochromatosis with infection, are discussed.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

Cited by

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

LinkOut - more resources