A Short Review of Iron Metabolism and Pathophysiology of Iron Disorders.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review of physiological mechanisms with no original empirical data or systematic search methodology.
PubMed 31387234 · doi:10.3390/medicines6030085
What was done
This narrative review summarizes human iron homeostasis, detailing organ-specific roles (bone marrow, reticuloendothelial system, liver, and intestine), cellular regulation via iron-regulatory proteins and iron-responsive elements, hormonal control via hepcidin, and the causes of iron deficiency and excess.
What was found
The abstract provides qualitative mechanistic descriptions without empirical data or numerical values. It describes that humans have no active iron excretion mechanism, relying on tightly regulated intestinal absorption balanced against daily losses, with hepatic hepcidin acting as the master negative feedback regulator.
Why it matters
It provides a consolidated conceptual overview of the systemic and cellular feedback loops governing iron homeostasis and how their disruption leads to clinical iron disorders.
Limits
The paper is a narrative overview rather than a systematic review or empirical study. No original patient data, quantitative measurements, or comparative clinical outcomes are reported in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports The human body has no active physiological mechanism for excreting excess iron.
- supports The human body has difficulty excreting or eliminating excess iron.