RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Slight to moderate hepatic iron overload (HIO) can be found in cases of liver disease, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but the mechanism is not completely understood, as well as its relationship with obesity. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of HIO assessed through histopathological examination in obese individuals undergoing bariatric surgery and to identify correlations between this condition and demographic, anthropometric, clinical, laboratory, and NAFLD-related aspects. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study which enrolled individuals undergoing bariatric surgery from January 2018 to February 2019 at a tertiary university hospital. NAFLD and HIO were assessed through histological examination. RESULTS: Of 125 individuals, 87.2% were female and the average age was 38.8 ± 9.2 years. The average BMI was 37.2 ± 3.1 kg/m2. NAFLD was present in 66.4% and HIO in 17.6%, with 63.6% of patients with overload classified as mild (grade I) and 22.7% moderate (grade II). HIO was significantly more frequent in males (p = 0.003) and was significantly associated with higher levels of glucose (92.1 ± 28.4 vs. 80.7 ± 39.6; p = 0.02), ferritin (385.5 ± 290.9 vs. 131.6 ± 99.7; p < 0.0001), serum iron (82.4 ± 35.7 vs. 66.6 ± 25.1; p = 0.03), glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (27.3 ± 19.5 vs. 20.6 ± 8.8; p = 0.02), and glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (37.6 ± 36.4 vs. 24.6 ± 16.3; p = 0.01). Multivariate analysis showed that HIO intensity was significant and independently associated with ferritin levels (R = 0.19; p = 0.01), serum iron (R = 0.25; p < 0.0001), blood glucose (R = 0.16; p = 0.001), and total cholesterol (R = - 0.17; p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: In obese individuals, HIO presented a high prevalence and was associated with higher levels of ferritin, serum iron, glucose, and transaminases; lower levels of total cholesterol; and male gender.
