The epidemiology of hyperferritinaemia.

AIM

To discover the causes of markedly raised ferritin levels in patients seen at a teaching hospital in Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom.

METHODS

Demographic and medical data were collected for all patients over 18 years who had a serum ferritin levels recorded as >=1500 microg/L during the period January to September 2002. The cause or causes for their hyperferritinaemia were identified from their medical notes. Patients from a defined local population were identified.

RESULTS

A total of 19583 measurements were provided of which 406 from 199 patients were >=1500 microg/L. An annual incidence for the local population was determined to be 0.44/1000. 150/199 medical notes were scrutinised and 81 patients were identified as having a single cause for their raised ferritin level. The most common single cause was alcoholic liver disease in the local population and renal failure was the most common single cause in the overall population. Confirmed hereditary haemochromatosis was the 10th most common cause. Liver disease contributed to hyperferritinaemia in 44% of the patients. Weight loss may have contributed to hyperferritinaemia in up to 11%.

CONCLUSION

Alcohol related liver disease, haemat-ological disease, renal failure and neoplasia are much more common causes of marked hyperferritinaemia than haemochromatosis. The role of weight loss in hyperferritinaemia may warrant further investigation.