Hemosiderosis secondary to chronic parenteral iron therapy in maintenance hemodialysis patients.

Autopsy data on 24 chronic maintenance hemodialysis patients who had received varying doses of parenteral iron as the iron-dextran complex were reviewed for evidence of iron overload (hemosiderosis) and tissue fibrosis or organ dysfunction (hemochromatosis). Hemosiderosis was frequent in patients who received high total doses of iron but absent in those who received little or no iron. The degree of tissue iron did not increase with increased iron administration above a total of 2.5 g. Hemochromatosis or organ dysfunction secondary to tissue iron deposition was not noted in any patient. Chronic parenteral iron administration may improve anemia and result in tissue iron deposition but does not lead to hemochromatosis.