This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Go to /pro/cpd-dashboard page

This page is worth 0.05 CPD credits. CPD dashboard

Go to /account/subscription-details page

This page is worth 0.05 CPD credits. Upgrade to Pro

Liver iron concentration (LIC)

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Liver iron concentration (LIC) accurately predicts total body iron stores

  • when possible, it should be measured annually in patients undergoing regular transfusion therapy

  • normal LIC values are up to 1.8 mg Fe/g dry weight, with levels of up to 7 mg/g dry weight seen in carriers of genetic hemochromatosis without apparent adverse effects

  • several studies have linked very high LIC (> 15 mg/g dry weight) to worsening prognosis liver fibrosis progression and liver function abnormalities
    • likely that very high liver iron concentrations are associated with high plasma non-transferrin bound iron (NTBI) because the liver is the main organ for removing free iron from plasma
      • NTBI is damaging to the organs that are also affected by iron deposition

Liver biopsy provides a direct measurement of LIC, being quantitative, specific, and sensitive

  • biopsy is an invasive procedure - however in experienced hands it has a low complication rate
    • inadequate sample size (< 1 mg/g dry weight or < 4 mg wet weight or < 2.5 cm core length) or uneven distribution of iron, particularly in the presence of cirrhosis, may give misleading results
  • LIC can also be measured accurately by superconducting quantum interference device
    • results correlate well with chemical estimation of LIC unless fibrosis is present

Reference:

  • Hoffbrand AV et al. How I treat transfusional iron overload. Blood. 2012 Nov 1;120(18):3657-69.
  • Kushner JP, Porter JP, Olivieri NF. Secondary iron overload. Hematology / the Education Program of the American Society of Hematology. American Society of Hematology. Education Program 2001;2001(1):47-61.

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.