Iron overload is common in rural sub-Saharan African populations that have the custom of
drinking a traditional fermented beverage with high iron content. As with both excessive
alcohol exposure and HFE hemochromatosis, hepatic portal fibrosis and micronodular
cirrhosis are prominent sequelae of African iron overload. Two observations are therefore
important in characterizing iron overload in Africa. First, the hepatic iron concentrations
associated with African iron overload often far exceed those seen in alcoholic liver disease …