Secondary Hemochromatosis
What is hemochromatosis? Hemochromatosis is the meaning of an iron overload disease in your blood. In your body there is a system called the hemoglobin which carries oxygen from the lungs to all the body tissue, and it contains iron. Having an iron overload is dangerous and can damage the liver, heart, and pancreas. The secondary hemochromatosis is one caused not by heritage, but by lifestyle or blood transfusion.
Causes of secondary Hemochromatosis The most deadly cause of this disease is blood transfusion which usually happens to people with severe anemia (when red blood cells become smaller and carry less oxygen). The transfusion happens to people with non-hereditary anemia such as aplastic anemia and many others. Another way of…show more content… Another test used is the serum transferrin saturation test. This test is used to measure the amount of iron bound to the protein transferrin. If the test shows that you have 45% of iron in your blood, it is considered to be high.
DNA Testing Another way to do diagnose the disease is by having a DNA test in the hemojuvelin and HFE. This test is only used for primary hemochromatosis.
Liver biopsy The liver is the first organ affected by this disease. To diagnose the disease, the doctor will take a piece of tissue from your liver and investigate it. The doctor can then tell whether the disease hemochromatosis is present or not.
Treatment for hemochromatosis The cure for hemochromatosis is a procedure called phlebotomy. This procedure is when you take out blood from your body to remove excess iron. However the cure is not done once, at first the cure is given twice a week, then after initial treatment it is given four to six times a year.
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