How to Treat Hemochromatosis

Hemochromatosis is an iron overload disorder. Too much iron gets in the bodies organs which can cause major problems. It occurs mostly in people of Irish, Scottish, and English descent. Men are usually diagnosed between the ages of 40-60. Since women lose their blood regularly each month, they are not usually diagnosed until after they have reached menopause. There is a way to treat hemochromatosis that can prevent any damage to your organs.

Things You'll Need

• Blood tests
• Phlebotomy

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Instructions

• 1

  Have your doctor order a blood test to check your iron levels. This is going to give the doctor an idea of how much blood to withdrawal in order to get the iron levels down to normal.

• 2

  Find a center that practices phlebotomy that your insurance company accepts. Your doctor can help you make arrangements for this.

• 3

  Begin getting your blood removed through the process of phlebotomy. You may have to do this once a week at first until your iron levels have reached a normal level. Then you will eventually need to have the phlebotomy done every couple of month. This method is highly successful.

• 4

  Take deferoxamine. This is an optional treatment if the phlebotomy doesn't work. The medication binds to the iron and helps remove it from the body. You don't want to use this medication if you can do phlebotomy because medication causes side effects where phlebotomy does not.