Screening for hereditary hemochromatosis in prospective blood donors.

Prospective blood donors (n = 1,265, mean age 26 years) were screened for elevated serum ferritin and serum iron. Final diagnosis for hereditary hemochromatosis was made by liver iron concentration (noninvasive biomagnetometry), transferrin saturation, and 59Fe absorption in 3 male subjects. This preliminary result confirms for the first time the current frequency estimation of homozygous hemochromatosis (0.2-0.6%) in a group of young North-Germans.