The consequences of iron overload from dysmetabolic hyperferritinaemia are a strong motivation for an active medical care program. Venesection therapy is known to be effective in controlling iron overload parameters although no study has evaluated the impact of the normalization of metabolic dysfunction on iron overload.

To evaluate the impact of normalization of metabolic dysfunction on iron overload.

Sixty consecutive patients with dysmetabolic hepatosiderosis were included in a prospective study. Patients with hyperferritinaemia above 1 000 µg/l were excluded. Multidisciplinary care was offered to all patients to normalize metabolic disorders (body mass index, arterial hypertension, fasting and postprandial hyperglycemia, hyperuricemia, hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia) every three months. All patients were followed for one year. At clinical examinations, ferritinaemia concentrations were measured and all dysmetabolic parameters evaluated. MRI was performed at the beginning of the study and at the one year follow-up, to measure hepatic iron load.

Despite efficient medical care of insulin resistance syndrome, ferritinaemia remained stable. In two thirds of the study population, hyper-ferritinaemia reached at least one and a half times the baseline value, although the dysmetabolic disorders of 40% of the patients were strictly normalized. In this group of 44 patients with strict normalization of metabolic functions, 24 (54%) had hyperferritinaemia at one year follow-up whereas 16 other (36%) normalized this parameter. Only 4 patients who had a ferritinaemia below 450 µg/l at baseline, normalized this value at one year. Intra-hepatic iron overload, evaluated by MRI imaging remained stable except for 2 patients who normalized ferritinaemia.

Although efficient handling of dysmetabolic disorders is essential, it is not sufficient to normalize dysmetabolic hyperferritinaemia. Only patients with a ferritinaemia value below a baseline of 450 µg/l had normalization of iron overload. Therefore venesection must be offered to all patients with a hyper-ferritinaemia above this value.