see also:

• liver diseases
• iron poisoning
• haemochromatosis

• the excessive accumulation of iron in the body due to an acquired cause and often called “secondary haemochromatosis”
  • NB. “primary haemochromatosis” is due to an homozygous recessive inherited disorder that causes excessive iron absorption from the gut
• in addition, increased iron storage within hepatocytes without substantially increased total body iron can occur in chronic liver diseases such as due to alcoholism, HBV and HCV infections.

• parenteral iron overload
  • repeated blood transfusions over years eg. for chronic haemolytic anaemias
  • long term haemodialysis
  • iron-dextran injections
• ineffective erythopoiesis
  • beta thallasaemia
  • aplastic anaemia
  • sickle cell disease (SCD)
  • myeloproliferative disorders
  • leukaemia
  • sideroblastic anaemia
  • pyruvate kinase deficiency
• increased oral iron intake
  • Bantu siderosis (African iron overload due to ingesting large quantities of alcoholic beverages fermented in iron utensils and steel drums and perhaps associated with mutations of ferroportin)
• congenital atransferrinaemia
• chronic liver diseases
  • chronic alcoholic liver disease
  • porphyria cutanea tarda
• neonatal haemochromatosis
  • acquired in utero
  • may be related to maternal alloimmune injury to the fetal liver

• serum iron studies
  • high serum iron and ferritin levels
• exclude haemochromatosis especially if no obvious acquired cause