Iron Overload
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Transcript of Iron Overload
Key Message
“we all have to die of something, but it
shouldn’t be haemochromatosis”
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Haemochromatosis
What is this ‘Haemo’ you may ask?
IRON OVERLOAD
This can be toxic to our body organs.
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What causes it?
fault in an iron control gene inherited from both parents runs in families
too much iron absorbed from food iron overload can cause organ damage and eventually death
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early diagnosis and simple
treatment prevents complications
normal health and life expectancy
is possible
Who gets it? men and women are equally at risk Caucasian people are at risk 1 in 200 have the fault it runs in families so family members at risk
frequent and heavy alcohol drinkers taking iron supplements eating large amounts of iron-rich foods taking high doses of vitamin C men & post-menopausal women at greatest risk (people who donate blood are at lower risk)
untreated haemochromatosis frequent and heavy alcohol drinkers
genetic fault
excess iron
iron overload
organ damage
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Who gets it?
relatives of people with haemochromatosis are at risk relatives need to be tested
– brothers and sisters– mother and father– children over 18 years– grandparents– aunts, uncles– nieces, nephews– half-siblings
unrelated people
1 in 200 risk
children
1 in 20 risk
brothers & sisters
1 in 4 risk
cousins are more distant so routine testing isn’t strongly recommended5
How is it managed?
simple blood tests, arranged by a doctor, can detect– iron overload– the genetic faults
simple treatment removes excess iron– giving blood, just like a blood donation at a blood bank– this is called ‘venesection’– 500mL blood = 1 venesection = 0.25 grams iron
simple advice on diet helps to prevent extra iron absorption haemochromatosis can’t be treated by diet alone
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Early symptoms
harder to diagnose early…..
fatigue, weakness,
lethargy, apathy,
weight loss, joint aches
abdominal pains…..
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Late symptoms
classical description was “bronze diabetes” easier to diagnose late…..
1st & 2nd finger knuckle arthritis
liver failure and pigmented skin
the “iron salute”
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Organ damage
LIVER liver damage, cirrhosis, liver failure, liver cancer, sometimes requiring liver transplantsymptoms of fatigue, liver pain, enlarged liver, weakness, weight loss, abnormal blood tests for liver function, jaundice (yellowness of skin and whites of eyes)
HEART arrhythmias, cardiomyopathy, heart failure symptoms of fatigue, palpitations, shortness of breath, breathlessness with exertion, ankle swelling
PANCREAS iron in the pancreas can cause diabetessymptoms of high blood sugar include fatigue, thirst, hunger, increase in urinary frequency, slow-to-heal skin infections, dizziness
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Organ damage
JOINTS
most commonly affected joints are the hands, wrists, shoulders, hips, knees and ankles arthritis can lead to joint replacement surgery at a young agea classic finding is of swelling in the 1st and 2nd finger knuckles and the “iron salute”
SKIN iron overload may cause slate grey or bronze discolouration of the skin, loss of body hair
SEX ORGANS
men: low testosterone, impotence (erection problems), loss of libido, shrinking testicles (which doctors call testicular atrophy), development of ‘man boobs’ (which doctors call gynaecomastia)
women: irregular or no periods, early menopause, loss of libido
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What tests are needed?
iron studies tell
you about your
current iron
overload
gene test tells you
about your future
risk of iron
overload and if
your family needs
to be tested
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Treatment
venesection / phlebotomy treatment removes excess iron– Like a blood donation
1. iron unloading phase – frequent venesections
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2. life-long maintenance phase– monitoring iron levels at least every 12
months, usually every 3-6 months– enough venesections every year to keep
SF at a safe level (highly individual)
Key Message
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“we all have to die of something, but it
shouldn’t be haemochromatosis”
Tapirs can get it too!
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