Iron overload

Iron overload is excessive accumulation of iron in the body. Persistent excess can deposit in tissues and damage organs such as the liver, heart, and pancreas.

Hepcidin: A liver-produced hormone that regulates iron entry into blood by controlling ferroportin. Low or ineffective hepcidin permits excessive iron absorption and release into circulation.
Hereditary hemochromatosis: An inherited disorder in which excessive intestinal iron absorption gradually increases body iron stores. It is a major genetic cause of iron overload, commonly involving HFE variants.
Serum ferritin: A blood measurement of ferritin used as an indicator of stored iron and inflammation. It is commonly used to screen and monitor iron burden, but inflammation can raise it.
Cirrhosis: Advanced liver scarring that disrupts normal liver structure and function. Long-standing hepatic iron deposition can contribute to fibrosis and cirrhosis.
Iron deficiency: A state in which the body's iron supply is insufficient for its needs. It is the opposite iron-balance problem and calls for different treatment.
Ferroportin: The principal cellular iron-export protein, regulated by the hormone hepcidin. Its regulation determines how much iron leaves intestinal and storage cells.
HFE gene: A gene encoding a protein involved in sensing iron and regulating hepcidin production. Pathogenic variants can impair iron regulation and cause hereditary hemochromatosis.
Transferrin saturation: The percentage of transferrin iron-binding sites occupied by iron in blood. An elevated value can signal increased circulating iron before substantial tissue accumulation.
Hepatocellular carcinoma: The most common primary cancer arising from liver cells. Iron-related cirrhosis increases the risk of this liver cancer.
Anemia of inflammation: Anemia associated with chronic infection, inflammatory disease, or malignancy, often involving iron restriction. Iron may be trapped in storage despite low availability, unlike systemic iron excess.

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