• A condition in which the body takes up and stores more iron than it needs. The extra iron is stored in the liver, heart, and pancreas, which may cause liver disease, heart problems, organ failure, and cancer. It may also cause bronze skin, diabetes, pain in the joints and abdomen, tiredness, and impotence. Iron overload may be inherited, or it may be caused by blood transfusions.
  NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms
  U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
• Abnormally high level of iron in the tissues.
  NICHD Pediatric Terminology
  U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
• Accumulation of iron in the tissues. It may be a manifestation of an inherited disorder (e.g., hemochromatosis) or acquired (in patients with repeated blood transfusions). Symptoms include hepatomegaly, arthritis, diabetes mellitus, and bronzed skin. If untreated it has a progressive course and may lead to death.
  NCI Thesaurus
  U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
• An excessive accumulation of iron in the body due to a greater than normal absorption of iron from the gastrointestinal tract or from parenteral injection. This may arise from idiopathic hemochromatosis, excessive iron intake, chronic alcoholism, certain types of refractory anemia, or transfusional hemosiderosis. (From Churchill's Illustrated Medical Dictionary, 1989)
  NLM Medical Subject Headings
  U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021
• A disorder characterized by accumulation of iron in the tissues.
  Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events
  U.S. National Institutes of Health, 2021
• Typical adults lose about 1 mg iron (Fe) per day in shed epidermal and gastrointestinal cells; menstruating females lose on average an additional 0.5 to 1 mg/day from menses. This iron loss is balanced by absorption of a portion of the 10 to 20 mg of iron in a typical US diet. Iron absorption is regulated based on the body's iron stores...
  Merck Manuals
  Merck & Co., Inc., 2020