Diabetes in HFE Hemochromatosis

Table 3

Diabetes risk in HFE hemochromatosis.

Risk factors	Proposed mechanisms and pathophysiology
Increased iron entry into beta cells of islets	Increased transferrin saturation and transport via transferrin receptors; Elevated nontransferrin bound iron in plasma and entry by incompletely described mechanisms; Increased iron transport by divalent metal transporter 1
Decreased insulin secretion	Islet inflammation; Beta-cell injury; Pancreatic islet fibrosis
Cirrhosis	Associated with severe iron overload, pancreatic fibrosis; Hyperglucagonemia; PCSK7 rs236918 allele C
History of diabetes in first-degree relatives	Multiple genetic and acquired factors
Genetic markers	Multiple loci for type 2 diabetes; Chromosome 6p loci for type 1 (autoimmune) diabetes