IDIOPATHIC HÆMOCHROMATOSIS—A FAMILY STUDY

Summary The plasma iron concentration and plasma total iron‐binding capacity were determined and a series of liver function tests performed on the plasma from the immediate relatives of 23 patients with idiopathic hæmochromatosis. Abnormal iron transport values were found in 27% of the 70 relatives, but only two relatives gave abnormal results to the liver function tests. The results were considered to be compatible with a mode of inheritance of hæmochromatosis previously suggested by other authors—by a non‐sex‐linked dominant gene. It was suggested that relatives of patients who are found to have abnormally high plasma iron levels should be treated by venesection, whether or not they show other evidence of hæmochromatosis.