Abstract: Objective To compare the characteristics of cardiac involvement between primary and secondary hemochromatosis.Methods Patients with hemochromatosis from January 2008 to December 2018 in Beijing Friendship Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. The clinical manifestation, laboratory parameters, electrocardiogram and echocardiographic structural parameters of the patients were collected and compared. Results There were 20 cases of primary hemochromatosis (mean age 45.0 years, male 70.0%) and 20 cases of secondary hemochromatosis (mean age 47 years, male 75%). Patients with primary hemochromatosis had a significant higher level of ferritin (P<0.05) and more frequent extrahepatic manifestations than patients with secondary hemochromatosis. Cardiac arrhythmias were more common in patients with primary haemochromatosis than in patients with secondary hemochromatosis, but the difference was not statistically significant (20% vs.5%, χ² = 2.057, P=0.342). There were no significant differences in ECG and cardiac structure between two groups (P>0.05). Primary hemochromatosis included 2 patients with arrhythmias, one patient with atrial fibrillation, another one with frequent ventricular premature beats and 2 patients died of cardiac failure.Conclusion The degree of iron overload in primary hemochromatosis was significantly higher than that of secondary hemochromatosis. Cardiac involvement is more common in patients with primary hemochromatosis, including arrhythmias and heart failure. Heart involvement of hemochromatosis often indicates a poor prognosis and warrants attention of hepatologists.

Key words: Primary hemochromatosis, Secondary hemochromatosis, Arrhythmias, Heart failure