Condition: Neonatal Hemochromatosis

Neonatal hemochromatosis is a rare disorder affecting newborns. It is characterized by liver disease associated with the accumulation of excess iron in the liver and other areas of the body. In most cases, signs of neonatal hemochromatosis are apparent within 48 hours of birth. In many cases, neonatal hemochromatosis rapidly progresses to cause life-threatening complications such as liver failure. However, researchers now believe that neonatal hemochromatosis represents a spectrum of disease and some infants are less severely affected than others. There is a high risk of recurrence in subsequent pregnancies of women who have had a child with neonatal hemochromatosis. Although the exact cause of the disorder is not fully understood, researchers believe most cases of neonatal hemochromatosis result from maternal fetal alloimmunity, a condition in which antibodies from the mother travel over the placenta and mistakenly attack the fetus.