|
Diagnosis and Treatment - What is the treatment?
Treatment is most effective when begun early on in the disease as it can
successfully prevent or stop organ damage. If damage has already occurred,
treatment should halt any further damage and in most cases bring about
improvement. The only method of removing excess iron from the body is
by removal of blood. This is by giving a blood donation and is called
venesection or phlebotomy
therapy. Every pint of blood removed contains 250mg of iron. The body
then uses some of the excess stored tissue iron to make new blood cells
which are removed in subsequent phlebotomy.
The length of treatment depends on the amount of excess iron in the body
at the time of diagnosis, which is measured by the ferritin
and transferrin
saturation. Treatment may mean
weekly phlebotomy
for one to two years or until the iron levels have been reduced to a safe
level. During the treatment the serum ferritin
levels are monitored, the results of these tests give a measure of the
remaining iron stores. Once the initial treatment is completed and the
iron levels are back to normal then they are monitored every 3 months.
As they start to rise again phlebotomy
is recommended.
Treatment for haemochromatosis
is on going for life and may require blood to be removed once or twice
yearly depending on how quickly the iron is reaccumulating.
This is called maintenance therapy. Venesection treatment will allow iron
tissue to be mobilized and iron stores will return to normal. However
it will not cure any clinical condition such as diabetes
already present at the time treatment is started. This emphasizes the
importance of early diagnosis!
Diet
The common view is that a low iron diet is of little benefit and is not
advised since considerably more iron can be removed in a single venesection
The following is advised:
 Modest alcohol consumption
No iron medication
or multivitamins containing iron
No bread or cereals
with fortified iron.
What is the Haemochromatosis?
What are the symptoms?
Diagnosis and Treatment - What are the tests?
How is haemochromatosis inherited?
Who should be tested?
Download
Questions & Answers Document
|
