The Iron Man

Abstract

The clinical presentation of haemochromatosis is usually complex and differs from patient to patient. We present one such complex case of primary haemochromatosis in a 35-year-old man with congestive heart failure and non-sustained ventricular tachycardia. He was a known case of diabetes, was infertile after nine years of marriage, and displayed haepatomegaly with increased homogenous attenuation of liver. His serum iron levels (347 µg/dL) and serum ferritin levels (2169 ng/mL) were very high, which made us call him an ‘Iron Man’. Liver biopsy and genetic testing confirmed the diagnosis of primary haemochromatosis. With regular phlebotomies, along with treatments for secondary complications, his symptoms improved gradually and the patient is doing well for past 11 years.

Keywords

• congestive heart failure
• haemochromatosis
• haemojuvelin
• hypogonadism phlebotomy