A Late Presentation of a Fatal Disease: Juvenile Hemochromatosis

Juvenile hemochromatosis is a rare and severe form of hereditary hemochromatosis. We report the case of a 39-year-old female who presented with heart failure and cirrhosis from previously unrecognized juvenile hemochromatosis. This is the latest presentation described in the literature. An important...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Cynthia Cherfane, Pauline Lee, Leana Guerin, Kyle Brown
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2013-01-01
Series:Case Reports in Medicine
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/875093
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Summary:Juvenile hemochromatosis is a rare and severe form of hereditary hemochromatosis. We report the case of a 39-year-old female who presented with heart failure and cirrhosis from previously unrecognized juvenile hemochromatosis. This is the latest presentation described in the literature. An important clue to the diagnosis was a history of amenorrhea since the age of 20 that had never been investigated. The patient died of intractable heart failure two months after the initial presentation. Juvenile hemochromatosis should be suspected in a young patient with endocrine or cardiac manifestations. Early diagnosis is crucial since phlebotomy can improve the prognosis and delay or prevent progression to heart failure and cirrhosis.
ISSN:1687-9627
1687-9635