This chapter discusses three of the major inherited forms of liver disease (all autosomal recessive): hereditary haemochromatosis, Wilson’s disease, and alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency. Hereditary haemochromatosis is characterized by excessive absorption of dietary iron, with a pathological increase in total body iron that accumulates in tissues and organs, disrupting their function. Wilson’s disease (hepatolenticular degeneration) is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder in which copper accumulates in tissues. Alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency is characterized by reduced circulating levels of alpha-1-antitrypsin, a liver-derived protease inhibitor, and accumulation within the hepatocytes of the abnormal, poorly degraded protein; the consequent excessive activity of proteases such as elastase in pulmonary alveoli, unopposed by protease inhibitors, leads to emphysema, and the accumulation of alpha-1-antitrypsin in hepatocytes causes liver dysfunction.
Life Expectancy after Liver Transplantation for Metabolic Disease: Alpha-1-Antitrypsin Deficiency, Wilson's Disease, or Hemochromatosis
