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It is very important to get iron levels down to normal. Therapeutic blood removal or phlebotomy is used to accomplish this. Therapeutic phlebotomy (TP) is the same as regular blood donation but TP requires a doctor’s order (prescription). Regular blood donation can be done every 8 weeks. A person with severe iron overload may need to give blood as much as 8 times in a single month! The goal is to bring blood ferritin levels to a normal range of 25 to 75ng/mL. Depending on the amount of iron overload at diagnosis, reaching normal levels can take many phlebotomies. Serum ferritin drops about 30ng/mL with each full unit (500cc) of blood removed. Once iron levels reach normal, a person can begin maintenance therapy, which involves giving a pint of blood every 2 to 4 months for life. Some people may need to give blood more often depending on what they eat and how quickly their body absorbs iron. The TS% and serum ferritin tests can be done periodically to help determine how often blood should be removed. |
When hemochromatosis is diagnosed early and treated before organs are damaged a person can live a normal life expectancy. For people who have disease at the time of diagnosis, life expectancy may be shortened depending upon the disease. For example: if a person gets diagnosed and treated before serum ferritin is above 1,000ng/mL the risk of cirrhosis or liver cancer is less than 1%. |
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The Personal Health Profile is an excellent way for a hemochromatosis patient to keep track of their blood tests. A great tool to post on the refrigerator, and one that can be used as long as blood tests are needed to track your hemochromatosis. Using this form can help establish patterns in your condition that can be shared with your physician. The Personal Health Profile can be downloaded for free or purchased as a hard copy for a nomimal fee.
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