Table 2.

Structures and functions of iron-loaded organs of the patient

	Liver	Spleen	Heart	Bone Marrow
Structure Change	High-dense liver under CT Cirrhosis	Splenomegaly Portal hypertension	Cardiomegaly	Low cellularity Relative erythroblast hyperplasia
Functional Change	Compensated cirrhosis	Hypersplenism	Congestive heart failure	Mild anemia
Iron Deposit	Hepatocyte-dominant	Macrophages	Myocardial cells	Macrophages

CT, computed tomography.

Iron accumulation and organ dysfunction differ from organ to organ in the patient. Her abdominal CT shows marked deposition in the liver, but not in the spleen or heart. The structure and function of the liver are compatible with those of hemochromatosis with hepatocyte-dominant iron loading. Splenomegaly associated with portal hypertension may result in hypersplenism. Iron overload of the myocardium may be partially responsible for congestive heart failure associated with cardiomegaly. Mild anemia that is unusual in hemochromatosis may be related to iron overload in macrophages of the bone marrow.