Hemochromatosis: Result of Excess Iron
The number of Hemochromatosis patient is increasing in United States and it is among the most common genetic disease worrying the country. It is the state of iron overload in blood. One in every 256 (approximately) Caucasian people suffers the risk of this disease. The risk is very low in Asian, Hispanic, African American and American Indian people.
Symptoms of Hemochromatosis is very common like other diseases – fatigue, weaknesses, weight loss, high blood pressure, joint pain, abdominal pain, diabetes and hormonal imbalance. If the disease is not detected and treated at an early stage it damages the function of the organs and can ultimately prove fatal. If detected early then proper treatment and the exact diet is very essential for the patients.
The treatment of Hemochromatosis is not at all complicated. At primary stage the patients need to remove about 50 ml of blood every week to establish normal plasma iron levels. Once the normal plasma level is established the removal of blood is done in 3 or 4 months gap to maintain the normal iron level. Occasionally the Hemochromatosis patients suffer from anemia because of frequent removal of blood. In that case chelating agent deferoxamine is given to prevent anemia.
Though the patients suffer from acute anemia you can not give him any iron supplement. It will give a reverse result. Patients must stick to low iron diet. That is why if a Hemochromatosis patient should take multivitamins, it should be under the physician’s guidance, and should read the label of the vitamins bottle to make sure that they do not contain iron.
Avoid all the food that contains high amount of iron such as red meat, liver, iron fortified bread, cereals etc. The patient of this disease should not take vitamin C supplement of more than 500 mg and that too from the natural sources such as citrus fruits and green vegetables because vitamin C enhances the iron absorption in stomach. People with Hemochromatosis are advised to avoid eating any type of raw shellfish because raw shell fish contains two bacteria Vibro vulnificus and Salmonella enteriditis and people of this disease are prone to bacterial infection. It is alright to eat cooked food because at the time of cooking the high temperature kills germs. Alcohol consumption should be minimized and the patients who already have damaged liver due to this disease should say complete NO to alcohol.
