Immunohistochemical findings in the pancreatic islets of a patient with transfusional iron overload and diabetes : case report

概要

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Excessive iron storage sometimes causes diabetes in patients with hemochromatosis,a disease caused by iron overloading. We performed an immunohistochemicalanalysis to study an autopsy case of aplastic anemia and diabetic hemochromatosis causedby frequent blood transfusions, and extensive hemosiderin deposition was observed inthe liver and pancreas. The pancreatic islets of the patient and a control subject werestained to detect glucagon, insulin, and proinsulin. Significantly lower levels of immunoreactivitywith both insulin antibodies and proinsulin antibodies, but not with glucagonantibodies, was observed in the islet cells in the patient’s tissue than in the islet cells ofthe control. Hemosiderin deposition in the islets is known to be exclusively distributedin the β-cells, thus, selective iron-induced damage to the β-cells may have affected insulinsynthesis and secretion and led to glucose intolerance in the patient.