Autosomal inheritance of sideroblastic anaemia

Inherited sideroblastic anaemia is usually transmitted as an X-linked disorder (Losowsky & Hall 1965). We report a patient in whom family studies indicated autosomal inheritance, with direct transmission from father to son. The severe nature of the sideroblastic abnormality in the proband may be due to interaction between the sideroblastic trait and a single allele for idiopathic haemochromatosis.