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Iron overload (also known as haemochromatosis or hemochromatosis) is the abnormal and increased accumulation of total iron in the body, leading to organ damage. [1] The primary mechanism of organ damage is oxidative stress, as elevated intracellular iron levels increase free radical formation via the Fenton reaction.
The ferritin levels measured usually have a direct correlation with the total amount of iron stored in the body. However, ferritin levels may be artificially high in cases of anemia of chronic disease, where ferritin is elevated in its capacity as an inflammatory acute phase protein and not as a marker for iron overload. [citation needed]
The accumulation of iron in tissues due to impaired iron export can lead to increasing transferrin iron saturation and liver parenchymal iron overload in advanced stages of the disease. [3] More ferritin is produced to suppress oxidative cell damage, although the amount of ferritin that cells can accumulate is limited. [12]
Ferritin levels are undoubtedly important for diagnosing iron deficiency. However, healthcare providers need to assess the ferritin levels in conjunction with a patient’s whole picture of health ...
[41] [42] [43] In a 2014 study, H63D homozygosity was associated with an elevated mean ferritin level, but only 6.7% had documented iron overload at follow-up. [44] As about the people with one copy of the H63D alteration (heterozygous carriers), this genotype is very unlikely to cause a clinical presentation, there is no predictable risk of ...
The most common type is iron-deficiency anemia, in which a lack of iron leads to a reduction in the number of red blood cells or hemoglobin. This can impair oxygen transport throughout the body.
Iron can be stored in ferritin as ferric iron due to the ferroxidase activity of the ferritin heavy chain. [28] Dysfunctional ferritin may accumulate as hemosiderin, which can be problematic in cases of iron overload. [29] The ferritin storage iron pool is much larger than the labile iron pool, ranging in concentration from 0.7 mM to 3.6 mM. [25]
For instance, a value of 15% means that 15% of iron-binding sites of transferrin are being occupied by iron. The three results are usually reported together. A low transferrin saturation is a common indicator of iron deficiency anemia whereas a high transferrin saturation may indicate iron overload or hemochromatosis.