Figure 2
Hemosiderin in Zone 1 hepatocytes in Type 1 HH. In HFE-related Type 1 HH, iron accumulation begins as hemosiderin in periportal (‘zone 1’) hepatocytes. The clinical significance will be related to rate of iron accumulation. The calculated iron content for this biopsy was 7633 μg/g dry weight liver and the patient's age was 24, resulting in a calculated hepatic iron index of 5.7 (see also Figure 7). At this rate of accumulation, fibrotic-range iron accumulation (approximately 15 000 or greater) will occur eventually. In contrast, if the patient had been 84 years old, the hepatic iron index would have been 1.63, reflecting relatively mild gene penetrance and little risk of significant iron-related symptoms.
