Late Cardiac Complications of Chronic, Severe, Refractory Anemia with Hemochromatosis

Four fifths of 49 patients with chronic, severe anemia from birth have manifested, usually during the second decade, signs of hemochromatosis with cardiac involvement. Nineteen patients had 33 attacks of pericarditis. Congestive cardiac failure with arrhythmias developed in 26 patients, and all but one died with this complication. Four others died of sepsis before heart failure was evidenced. Postmortem examination showed hemochromatosis with severe myocardial involvement.