Source of Iron
On average, a healthy adult male has 4,000 milligrams of total body iron, and a healthy adult female has 2,000 milligrams. A small amount of iron (about 1 mg/ day) is absorbed from the diet to maintain this iron balance, but in people with certain conditions such as haemochromatosis and thalassaemia absorption may increase to 5 mg or more per day. For patients receiving blood transfusions, there is an even greater input of iron from the red blood cells being transfused. One unit of transfused blood contains approximately 225 milligrams of iron. Because the body has no means of eliminating the excess iron, when someone receives 12 units of blood per year, his/her total body iron content will accumulate and increase by approximately 2,700 milligrams per year, with nearly all of the iron in the transfused red blood cells being stored in various tissues of the body. Iron accumulates in various organs and systems in the body, and can cause organ damage. One vital organ of particular concern is the heart because, as excess iron deposits in the heart, the risk of malfunction increases. As a result, many transfusion dependant individuals with iron overload develop a heart condition at some point in their lives.

Latest news on iron and the heart

Heart Disease in Thalassaemia Major - Physician Brochure
Patient management strategies for improving survival in patients with thalassaemia.
By Malcolm Walker, MD, FRCP
Consultant Cardiologist & Clinical Director
The Hatter Cardiovascular Institute, University College Hospital, London, UK