Liver iron levels

The liver is one of the main storage sites for iron, an essential element for life, although its overload is toxic. Excessive iron content in the liver has been linked to various liver and metabolic diseases such as hereditary hemochromatosis.

Iron is an essential mineral for multiple biological functions, including oxygen transport in hemoglobin and enzymatic activity. The liver is one of the main storage organs for this mineral, however, excessive accumulation of this mineral at the hepatic level can have severe consequences.

Hepatic iron overload refers to the abnormal and excessive accumulation of iron within hepatocytes, Kupffer cells, or both, mainly in the form of ferritin particles and hemosiderin aggregates. Although the body regulates the intestinal absorption of iron, it has no effective mechanism to regulate its elimination, which can lead to systemic iron overload if there is a sustained increased supply. When ferritin storage capacity is exceeded, free iron accumulates in the cells of the affected organ, forming insoluble hemosiderin aggregates that can trigger cellular damage and progressive organ dysfunction. This condition is not only associated not only with serious liver diseases such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, but also with metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes, arterial hypertension, ovarian ovarian syndrome, and other metabolic disorders.This condition is not only associated with serious liver diseases such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, but also with metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes, arterial hypertension, polycystic ovary syndrome and dismetabolic iron overload syndrome (DIOS), which affects a significant proportion of the general population.