Imagine this. One of your loved ones, perhaps a parent or a brother, is lying in the hospital for several months. Doctors are doing tests on him, and they have a hard time finding out what the disease is. You and your loved one suffer so much, waiting for the final verdict, on whether he shall live or he’ll die. And finally, the doctors come in to the room and tell you and your loved one they have found out what the disease is. They tell you it’s hemochromatosis, a disease you have never heard of before. The doctor tells you that your loved one has only a few weeks left.
You wish so hard it wasn’t so. It breaks your heart knowing that someone you love so much will pass away soon. And then the doctor tells you something that makes it even worse. He suspects that you have the same disease. Stop imagining. Guess what? This is not made-up. It is a reality faced by many American families. And maybe, it may even happen to yours. Hemochromatosis is a very dangerous disease. And it is usually hereditary. You shouldn’t be complacent to hear this. Many who die because of this disease do so because they fail to diagnose and treat it early.
Hemochromatosis is a disease where the liver produces excess iron (Hemochormatosis – New Treatments, 2007). Excessive iron is absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract leading to iron deposition into a number of organs including liver, pancreas, heart, joints and central nervous system. The presence of iron causes tissue damage and scarring of the organs leading to abnormal organ function (Pho, 1998). Hemochromatosis is one of the most prevalent mono-allelic genetic disorders in whites, and is usually inherited.
It is common in persons with hepatomegaly, abnormal liver tests, increased skin pigmentation, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and hypogonadism (O’Brien, 2007). Symptoms include bronze or gray skin coloring, weakness, tiredness, abdominal pain, decreased sex drive, weight loss and pain in the hips, knees or ankles. This can further lead to other serious medical conditions including an enlarged liver or spleen, arthritis, diabetes, cirrhosis, liver cancer and heart failure (Hemochromatosis, 2007). Treatment for hemochromotosis is done by eliminating excess iron from the blood on a regular basis (Horan, 2007).
For people with inherited hemochromatosis, this usually is done by phlebotomy, or blood letting about one pint of blood from the body. This is done every week until the iron level reaches a desired level. Family members are also screened for hemachromatosis. Early treatment can prevent further complications Hemochromatosis can also develop from having numerous blood transfusions. The usual treatment for this is through medications called chelating agents, which are injected under the skin. Removing blood only worsens their original condition.
This takes longer to remove iron than removing blood, but once iron levels return to normal, these patients only require occasional additional injections (O’Brien, 2007). It is a scary disease, a very scary disease. And the first thing to do to protect your family from this is knowing what it is. You just did the first step. What to do next is find out if you or any of your loved ones has this. Don’t make a mistake of ignoring this. Many have done that before you and they have regretted that decision. You could save a life. And it might even be yours.
References
Hemochromatosis – New Treatments. Medical Library.6 May 2007 <http://www. medical-library. org/journals5a/hemochromotosis. htm> Hemochromatosis. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. 6 May 2007 <http://www. bidmc. harvard. edu/display. asp? node_id=4397>. Horan, H. “Cordry”. 6 May 2007 <http://proceedings. ndia. org/JSEM2006/Wednesday/Cordry. pdf> O’Brien, Michael, M. D. “Hemochromatosis”. The Berries. 6 May 2007 <http://www. theberries. ns. ca/archives/SPRING2002/hemochromotosis. html> Pho, Kevin, M. D. “Blocked liver duct, pancreatitis, hemochromatosis”. 18 July 1998. Med Help. 6 May 2007 <http://www. medhelp. org/forums/gastro/archive/1787. html>