Prior to the advent of effective iron chelation, death from iron-induced cardiomyopathy and endocrine failure occurred in the second decade in patients with thalassemia major and this experience has driven expectation of poor outcomes and caused anxiety in all disorders associated with iron loading to this day. To be clear, severe iron overload still causes significant morbidity and mortality in many parts of the world, but current understanding of iron metabolism, non-invasive monitoring …