Abstract

Iron overload cardiomyopathy is a serious complication and major cause of mortality in hereditary haemochromatosis and beta thalassemia. Excessive iron in cardiomyocytes leads to oxidative damage of the myocardium. The mechanisms that accelerate the iron overloading in cardiomyocytes should be fully understood to adopt the modes of diagnosis and treatment in order to improve the quality of life in patients with hereditary haemochromatosis and ß-thalassemia. This article gives a review of the possible mechanisms that increase the iron overload in cardiac cells, the different methods of diagnosis and the available treatments.