Men with hyperferritinemia and diabetes in the Mediterranean area do not have a higher iron overload than those without diabetes.

ABSTRACT

AIM: To assess the role of iron overload in type 2 diabetic men with hyperferritinemia. METHODS: 150 men were recruited from a genetic screening programme for hereditary hemocromatosis (HH) and were tested for type 2 diabetes, other components of the metabolic syndrome, beta cell function (BCF), insulin sensitivity, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and iron overload. RESULTS: Fifty-one men had type 2 diabetes. They were older (p=0.017) and 99 had lower BCF (p<0.001) than non-diabetic men. None of the iron overload indexes was associated with diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings dispute a role of iron overload in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes.