![]() These can increase your iron levels even more. Avoid iron supplements and multivitamins containing iron.In addition to therapeutic blood removal, you may further reduce your risk of complications from hemochromatosis if you: Chelation is not commonly used in hemochromatosis. The medicine binds excess iron, allowing your body to expel iron through your urine or stool in a process that's called chelation (KEE-lay-shun). The medicine can be injected into your body, or it can be taken as a pill. Instead, your provider may recommend a medicine to remove excess iron. Phlebotomy may not be an option if you have certain conditions, such as anemia or heart complications. Chelation for those who can't undergo blood removal This usually involves an abdominal ultrasound and CT scan. If you have cirrhosis, your health care provider may recommend occasional screening for liver cancer. Phlebotomy can't reverse cirrhosis or joint pain, but it can slow the progression. If you already have one of these conditions, phlebotomy may slow the progression of the disease. It can help prevent serious complications such as liver disease, heart disease and diabetes. Treating hemochromatosis can help relieve symptoms of tiredness, stomach pain and skin darkening. ![]() The schedule depends on how quickly iron builds up in your body. Some may need to have blood removed monthly. Some people may maintain typical iron levels without having any blood taken. Once your iron levels go down, blood can be removed less often, typically every 2 to 3 months. The process of removing blood is referred to as therapeutic blood removal. The blood flows from the needle into a tube that's attached to a blood bag. While you lean back in a chair, a needle is inserted into a vein in your arm. In the beginning, you may have a pint (about 470 milliliters) of blood taken once or twice a week - usually in a hospital or your provider's office. The amount of blood removed and how often it's removed depend on your age, your overall health and the severity of iron overload. The goal of phlebotomy is to lower your iron levels. Health care providers can treat hemochromatosis safely and effectively by removing blood from the body on a regular basis. If a gene change is found in only one parent, then children do not need to be tested. Genetic testing is recommended for all parents, siblings and children of anyone diagnosed with hemochromatosis. Screening healthy people for hemochromatosis Risks of biopsy include bruising, bleeding and infection. The lab also looks for evidence of liver damage, especially scarring or cirrhosis. The sample goes to a lab to be checked for the presence of iron. During a liver biopsy, a sample of tissue is removed from your liver using a thin needle. If your provider suspects liver damage, the provider may order a liver biopsy. Removing a sample of liver tissue for testing.If you're considering genetic testing for hemochromatosis, discuss the reasons for and against with your provider or a genetic counselor. Testing your DNA for changes in the HFE gene is recommended if you have high levels of iron in your blood. An MRI is a fast and noninvasive way to measure the degree of iron overload in your liver. These tests can help identify liver damage. Your health care provider may suggest other tests to confirm the diagnosis and to look for other problems: You may need to have the tests repeated for the most accurate results. Elevations in one or all of these tests can be found in other disorders. These blood tests for iron are best performed after you have been fasting. If the results of your serum transferrin saturation test are higher than usual, your health care provider may check your serum ferritin. This test measures the amount of iron stored in your liver. Transferrin saturation values greater than 45% are considered too high. This test measures the amount of iron bound to the protein transferrin that carries iron in your blood. The two key tests to detect iron overload are:
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