Blood Iron and Copper in Hemochromatosis

Abstract

Hemochromatosis is a rare disease of disturbed iron metabolism usually associated with diabetes and accompanied by cirrhosis of the liver, bronzed pigmentation of the skin, and by the presence of an iron-containing pigment, hemosiderin, and a non iron-reacting pigment, hemofuscin, in the skin, liver, pancreas and various other organs.

Copper has been proposed as an etiological factor in hemochromatosis by Mallory and his coworkers. Mallory, Parker and Nye 1 announced that it was possible to produce pigmentation and cirrhosis of the liver in rabbits and sheep by the administration of copper salts or metallic copper in powdered form. Mallory 2 made a careful study of a series of cases of hemochromatosis among human beings. He pointed out 2 definite factors which he believed had a bearing on the production of the disease, one, the excessive indulgence in alcohol, and the other, occupational contact with copper. In some cases both factors operated. Mallory pointed out that samples of alcohol used in the prohibition era were considerably contaminated by copper. Mallory and Parker 3 repeated their experiments on chronic poisoning with copper and again reached the same conclusions, namely, that as a result of repeated injections of copper over a long period of time a form of pigmentation cirrhosis of the liver was produced.

The results of Mallory and his associates were confirmed by Hall and Butt, 4 but have been denied by Flinn and Von Glahn, 5 by Poison, 6 by Oshima and Siebert, 7 and by Herkel. 8 Mills, 9 after a statistical study of hemochromatosis and diabetes in Koreans who use copper and brass utensils almost exclusively, stated that the rate of incidence of these diseases was less than in the United States.