Affiliations: [a]
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine, Kayseri, Turkey
| [b]
Department of Pediatrics, Bozok University Faculty of Medicine, Kayseri, Turkey
| [c]
Department of Radiology, Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine, Kayseri, Turkey
| [d]
Department of Pathology, Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine, Kayseri, Turkey
Correspondence:
[*]
Corresponding author: Levent Korkmaz, MD, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine, Kayseri, Turkey. Tel.: +90 3522076666; Fax: +90 3524375825; drleventkorkmaz@yahoo.com
Abstract: Neonatal hemochromatosis (NH) is a form of neonatal liver failure caused by maternal-fetal alloimmune injury to hepatocytes. The etiology of neonatal hemochromatosis is not exactly understood. However, according to one theory neonatal hemochromatosis is believed to be an alloimmune disorder causing liver injury in the fetus. In order to diagnose neonatal hemochromatosis there are some criteria that should be taken into account, such as positive family history, high serum ferritin levels, high serum alpha-fetoprotein levels and siderosis demonstrated by histology or with magnetic resonance. We present a case of a monochorionic newborn twin who applied to our hospital with sepsis clinical symptoms like clinics, was diagnosed with NH and immediately treated with antioxidant therapy while the other twin with same clinical symptoms did not respond to therapy and passed away. NH should be considered in the differential diagnosis of cases with sepsis-like clinical symptoms that do not respond to antibiotics; early antioxidant therapy in these cases is lifesaving.
