Long-term Outcome of Orthotopic Liver Transplantation in Patients With Hemochromatosis: A Summary of a 30-year Transplant Program

Hemochromatosis (HC) is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by impaired iron metabolism and a rare indication for orthotopic liver transplantation (LT). Data about iron reaccumulation and remodeling of the liver graft after LT are limited. Therefore, we performed an evaluation of the histopathologic changes during long-term follow-up in patients with HC. Methods A retrospective analysis of patients undergoing LT at our center between 1990 and 2016 identified 29 patients with HC. End points were the evaluation of post-LT iron reaccumulation and the stage of fibrosis as well as the degree of inflammation of the liver graft. Secondary end points were patient survival and postoperative complications. Results The median age was 52.7 y, and there were more male (82.8%) than female patients (17.2%). Post-LT serum ferritin values (>1000 μg/L) were only temporarily elevated in 2 patients. The median estimated survival after LT was 45.5 mo (0.1-285.9 mo). Twenty patients (69%) died during follow-up of 10 y. The survival of patients with HC was significantly worse (P = 0.001) when compared with the overall cohort of patients undergoing LT because of to other causes. Conclusions There was no significant iron overload detected in patients with HC after LT, and only minimal iron deposits were described in liver biopsies. Nevertheless, patients suffering from HC show a lower post-LT survival when compared with patients without iron storage disease but mostly because of extrahepatic causes.