African iron overload.

ABSTRACT

African iron overload has been recognised in sub-Saharan Africa for seventy years. The condition is distinct from the well-characterised HLA-linked haemochromatosis described in Caucasians. Increased dietary iron intake predisposes to the condition. Recent evidence suggest that African iron overload may be caused by an interaction between increased dietary iron and a genetic defect not associated with the HLA-locus. Iron deposition is prominent both in macrophages and in hepatic parenchymal cells. Iron overload is distinct from alcoholic liver disease, although the excess dietary iron is derived from a traditional beverage that contains alcohol. African iron overload has clinical consequences. It is a cause of hepatic fibrosis and cirrhosis, and associations with diabetes mellitus, peritonitis, scurvy and osteoporosis have been described. African iron overload may be a cause of hepatocellular carcinoma. The disorder is associated with a poor outcome in tuberculosis, an infection that is highly prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa.