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How to know if you have haemochromatosis

Haemochromatosis is a disease where an excess of iron builds up in the body and ends up poisoning organs, including the liver, heart, and pancreas. Eventually, this can cause organ failure.

Iron is an essential mineral that is responsible for transporting oxygen in the blood. Too little iron can cause conditions such as anaemia, while too much can be toxic to your organs. Iron overload can contribute to an enlarged liver, liver failure, liver cancer, or cirrhosis, which is the scarring of the liver.

Too much iron in the heart can cause arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats) and heart failure, and in the pancreas, it can lead to diabetes. If haemochromatosis isn’t treated, it may even cause death.

Iron overload

The excessive absorption and storage of iron is considered a genetic disorder. According to the National Organisation for Rare Disorders, hereditary haemochromatosis is caused by mutations of the mutated HFE gene (H refers to high, and FE means iron). The disorder is thought to be most common amongst Caucasian men, while is seen less often in menstruating women as blood loss reduces iron levels.

This disease is categorised as:

Primary or classic haemochromatosis: This is passed on genetically, and it accounts for up to 90% of cases.

Secondary haemochromatosis: Results from anaemia or chronic liver disease, like chronic hepatitis C infection or alcoholic liver disease.

Symptoms

Symptoms can occur at any age but are more likely in those between the ages of 40 and 60. Common symptoms include:

  • Fatigue
  • Weakness
  • Weight loss.
  • Abdominal pain.
  • Women may stop menstruating.
  • High sugar levels.
  • Hypothyroidism, or low thyroid function.
  • Loss of libido and/or sex drive, and erectile dysfunction.
  • Reduction in the size of testicles.
  • Skin becomes bronzed, like a sun tan.

Left untreated, the following conditions may develop:

  • Heart disease.
  • Pancreatitis
  • Arthritis
  • Cirrhosis of the liver (scarring of the liver).
  • Diabetes
  • Enlargement of the liver.

Diagnosing haemochromatosis

There are two blood tests that can detect iron overload, even before symptoms appear.

  • Serum transferrin saturation: Transferrin is a protein that carries iron in the blood. This test measures the amount of iron bound to transferrin.
  • Serum ferritin: This blood test measures the amount of iron the body has stored.

Both tests are necessary to diagnose haemochromatosis. Sometimes, they need to be repeated for accuracy, as other diseases and conditions can also contribute to raised ferritin levels. The disease is often found while checking for other diseases or conditions like liver disease, arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, or erectile dysfunction. Your doctor will diagnose the disease based on your medical and family history, a physical exam, and the results from tests. Your doctor may also refer you to a liver specialist, or a cardiologist if necessary.

Treatment

Phlebotomy is a regular treatment used to remove iron-rich blood from the body. It’s similar to donating blood, but the aim is to reduce iron levels to a healthy level. The amount of blood that can be taken depends on whether you’re male or female, and your overall health. Treatment may also include medication that works to bind excess iron so that it can be excreted from your body.

References

Could you have a blood clot?

Your blood has one of the most important and complex jobs in your body. It flows continuously through your veins and arteries delivering nutrients and oxygen while overcoming bumps and lumps, twists and turns, all this with a fluctuating blood pressure.

Sometimes, this whole commotion can lead to the formation of blood clots. Clotting can be healthy and normal – helping with wound healing – but it can also be dangerous when the blood clot forms in places where it’s not needed.

What is a blood clot?

A blood clot is a cluster of blood that has changed from a liquid into a gel-like form. Clotting is an important process that can help prevent you from losing too much blood if you’ve cut or injured yourself, for example. Other times, it can be dangerous.

What are the causes?

Blood clots happen during a process called clotting. It begins when flowing blood encounters certain substances in your skin or blood vessel walls. When the blood touches the substances, the skin or blood vessel wall break, causing blood to clot.

Blood clots can also form when your blood doesn’t flow properly. This causes it to collect in clumps in your blood vessels or heart, forming clots.

Waxy cholesterol plaques that form in your arteries can also lead to clotting, usually when a blood vessel is scarred or inflamed. If the plaque breaks open, the clotting process begins.

What harm can it do? 

Sometimes, when clots form in your veins, they may not be able to dissolve. This can be very dangerous and even life-threating.

If clots don’t move around, they are generally not harmful. But if they move around in your veins to your heart or lungs, it can get stuck and prevent blood flow. This is how heart attacks and strokes happen.

Different blood clots and their symptoms include:

  • In the leg or arm: This is the most common place for clots to form. Symptoms may include swelling, pain, tenderness, red discolouration and a warm sensation.
  • In the heart: Blood clots in the heart cause a heart attack. This can bring on pain or a heavy feeling on your chest. You may also feel lightheaded and have shortness of breath.
  • In the abdomen: Abdominal pain, swelling and food poisoning may be symptoms of a clot in your abdomen.
  • In the brain: A blood clot in your brain is known as a stroke. Symptoms include a sudden, severe headache and difficulty speaking or seeing.
  • In your lungs: Symptoms of a blood clot in your lungs may include chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath and coughing up blood.

Lower your risk for blood clots

  • Lose weight if you’re overweight.
  • Stay active and exercise at least three to four times a week.
  • Avoid sitting for long periods. Aim to get up for 5 minutes at least once every hour.
  • Fidget and point and flex your toes while sitting for long stretches to help your blood circulate.
  • Eat a healthy diet, that keeps your blood vessels healthy: a diet rich in vegetables, antioxidants and omega-3 oils.
  • Drink lots of water and wear loose clothing when you travel.

Treatment

Blood clots are usually treated with medication, called blood thinners. Blood thinner medication may be injected under your skin. Your doctor can show you how to give yourself injections or a loved one can help you do it. Oral blood thinner medication is also available. Depending on your condition, your doctor may prescribe either or both the oral and injection blood thinners. Compression stockings may also be used to help prevent blood clots.

References:

Cold hands? It could be Raynaud’s phenomenon

Commonly known as RP, Raynaud’s phenomenon is a condition where the blood vessels in your fingers and toes overreact to cold temperatures or stress. RP may also affect other areas of your body like your nose, lips, ears and even nipples.

For many people, RP isn’t a serious condition, but for some, the reduced blood flow can cause damage. Key symptoms include:

  • Cold fingers and toes.
  • Temperature changes in your skin in response to cold or stress.
  • A numb, prickly feeling or stinging pain when warming up feeling stress relief.

RP also results in vasospasm. This is the discolouration of fingers or toes after exposure to changes in temperature or emotional events. A three-step skin discolouration sequence happens as the blood vessels slow down the blood flow to the tissues. First, the fingers and toes turn white because of the lack of blood flow. Then, they turn blue because of the lack of oxygen. Finally, the blood vessels reopen and blood gushes in, causing your fingers and toes to become red. It takes about 15 minutes for normal blood flow to return to the affected areas.

Types of RP

There are two types of RP, primary and secondary. Primary Raynaud’s phenomenon occurs with no underlying condition and the symptoms are usually mild. Secondary Raynaud’s is less common and happens as a result of another condition, the most common of which are those that affect your body’s connective tissues, like rheumatoid arthritis or lupus. Secondary RP has more serious symptoms, which sometimes may also include skin sores.

Who gets RP?

  • Approximately one in 10 people may have some form of Raynaud’s phenomenon, specifically, primary RP.
  • The symptoms for primary RP usually appear between the ages of 15 and 25. Secondary RP symptoms start after 35.
  • Women are more likely than men to have the syndrome.
  • Having carpal tunnel syndrome and working frequently with vibrating heavy machinery, such as jackhammers, increases your risk of RP.
  • Using medication to treat cancer, high blood pressure and migraines, can all increase your risk of RP.

How is it treated?

  • Treatment for RP is aimed at limiting the symptoms and/or preventing attacks.
  • Keeping your hands and feet warm and dry, controlling stress and getting enough exercise can help with this.
  • Your doctor might suggest that you avoid certain over-the-counter drugs that could irritate your blood vessels.
  • For Secondary RP, you may be given a cream to treat sores and blood pressure medication to relax your blood vessels.
  • If your condition is so severe that you’re at risk of losing your fingers or toes, you might need surgery. This may involve cutting the nerves that lead to your blood vessels in your skin to limit how much they open and close. An injection may also be used to insert drugs into your hands and feet to block those nerves.

References:

Could you have a bleeding disorder?

Do you have unexplained nosebleeds, heavy menstrual periods or find yourself bruising easily? You may have a bleeding disorder.

A bleeding disorder is a group of conditions that affect the way your blood clots. Clotting changes blood from a liquid to a solid. For example, if you get injured, your blood begins to clot to prevent you from losing a lot of blood. If a bleeding disorder prevents this natural process, you land up with excessive bleeding.

Bleeding disorders can cause abnormal bleeding inside or outside your body. This may take place under your skin or in organs like the brain.

Symptoms include extended bleeding after drawing blood, minor cuts, vaccinations or dental procedures. Also, watch for excessive bruising, bleeding in soft tissue, muscles and joints, unexplained nosebleeds and heavy periods.

What causes bleeding disorders?

Bleeding disorders may be caused by a low red blood count, a Vitamin K deficiency or side-effects from some medications that affect blood clotting. Bleeding disorders can also be inherited or appear suddenly with no warning.

There are several different types of bleeding disorders, but the most common include:

  • Haemophilia A and B. This condition develops when there are low levels of clotting factors in your blood that helps with the clotting process (e.g. factor VII).
  • Von Willebrand’s disease. The most common inherited bleeding disorder. It develops when your blood lacks proteins that help with clotting.
  • Factor II, V, VII, X and XII deficiencies. Bleeding disorders related to blood clotting problems or abnormal bleeding problems.

Treatment

This depends on how severe your disorder is. Treatments can’t cure bleeding disorders, but they help manage symptoms.

Blood transfusion

Blood loss caused by a bleeding disorder can be replaced with a blood transfusion. A blood transfusion is when donated blood that matches your blood type is used to replace the blood you’ve lost. This takes place in a hospital. If you lack certain factors, transfusions can be done with fresh frozen plasma (colourless liquid in your blood).

Iron supplements

When you lose blood, your iron levels dip. Low iron levels can make you feel tired, weak and dizzy. Your doctor may prescribe iron supplements to replace the iron you’ve lost.

Medication

Your doctor may prescribe medication to help prevent clots from dissolving. The medication will depend on which bleeding disorder you have.

Other treatments

A bleeding disorder like haemophilia can be treated with factor replacement therapy. During this therapy, clotting factor is injected into your bloodstream. This helps prevent and control excessive bleeding. Other bleeding disorders may be treated with oils, creams, lotions or nasal sprays.

References:

How can you save a life? Through the Sunflower Fund.

The Sunflower Fund fights blood diseases like Leukaemia. They do this by recruiting donors (like you!)  to sign up to the registry.  For more information you can visit their website or call them on the toll free number (SA only) 0800 12 10 82. 

Sign up today, to save a life!

How can I help?

Every year thousands of South Africans of all ages and races are diagnosed with blood conditions like leukaemia aplastic anaemia and other rare conditions. The ONLY way they can be saved, is with a blood stem cell transplant from someone like you.

“Why me?” you may ask. There are only a few matches in the world who can donate to each other. If you get leukemia, your family may not even be the right match – it could be a stranger in a different province, or even a different country. The odds of finding a match are about 1 in 100 000 – could it be YOU!? You may well be the only one in the world who could save a life, because of your unique blood type.

Who do we need as donors?

If you are healthy, and between 18 and 45, you can be a donor! “Tissue-types” are inherited characteristics, and this is what is used to match donors and patients.

Why are unrelated donors needed?

Usually, family members are suitable donors, but only 1 in 4 patients have siblings whose blood type match!

How are donors and patients matched?

There are many different types of white blood cells. We would need to draw your blood, and categorize your white blood cells to see if there’s a patient in need of your type. And, because there are so many different types, we need to get a lot of volunteers to find one match.

How are stem cells donated?

The process is very similar to the blood donation process: we need to draw your blood, and then run it through some processes in the lab to prepare it for the patient. The main difference is that it take a bit longer than donating blood  (about 4 to 6 hours).

Are there any side effects for the donor?

You could have some flu-like symptoms, and a small percentage of donors complain of some bone pain after the donation – but this pain goes away, and they’re back to normal. A small price to pay for saving a life!

Where would I donate?

The medical procedure to draw your stem cells is called a harvest. If we tested your blood, and we found a match, you will be asked to donate, by attending a specialist harvest centre in South Africa. This will not cost you a cent: only a little discomfort and your time!

Is a transplant a definite cure?

There is a definite chance that your blood can cure someone, but unfortunately it’s not a 100% guarantee. The world of blood conditions is complicated, and many patients still die due to complications. However, without your transplant, they have no hope of survival.

Where can I join?

If you want to donate, request your HR department to arrange a drive at your work, where The Sunflower Fund will recruit anyone in your office as donors: Rally up your colleagues, and do something amazing for another fellow South African!

Otherwise, you can register telephonically via our call centre: 0800-12-10-82

What does it mean when you have anaemia?

Iron plays an important role in your body. It is one of the key element in your red blood cells – the microscopic sized cells that store and carry oxygen to all parts of the body. A shortage of iron in your body is called anaemia.

Anaemia is most common in:

  • preschool children
  • women in their reproductive years
  • pregnant women.

It’s less common in men. According to a 2015 study from the University of Potsdam in Germany, the condition affects roughly 1 out of 3 people worldwide!

How anaemia happens

Anaemia is sign that your health is not at its best and you’re not getting enough good nutrition. The reduced number of red blood cells means that your organs and tissues don’t get enough oxygen. It may also be caused by a diet that’s lacking in iron, folic acid (folate) or Vitamin B12.

Symptoms of anaemia

  • Fatigue
  • Weakness
  • Light-headedness
  • Headaches
  • Heart palpitations
  • An altered taste
  • Tinnitus (ringing of ears)
  • Pale skin, tongue, and gums.

Causes of anaemia

  • Menstrual periods. If you have a particularly heavy flow, you can develop anaemia. The amount of iron in your diet may not be enough to replace the amount you lose during your periods.
  • Some pregnant women need iron supplements or may need to increase the amount of iron in their diet. Your body needs extra iron to ensure that there’s enough blood flow, necessary oxygen and nutrients for the health of your baby.
  • Poor absorption of iron. An intestinal disorder like celiac disease affects your intestine’s ability to absorb nutrients from digested food. This can lead to anaemia.
  • Blood loss from the gut. This is the most common cause of iron deficiency in men. It’s also common in women who’ve gone through menopause. Some gut conditions can cause a lot of bleeding that can lead to anaemia. You may not be aware of this as it can be a slow or irregular process. You can pass blood out with your stools without noticing either.
  • Poor nutrition. This happens when your diet doesn’t contain enough iron for your red blood cells to function properly.

I’m anaemic, now what?

Your doctor will diagnose your condition with the help of tests, medical and family history. At times, anaemia symptoms aren’t clear or present, so your doctor might find out you have anaemia when he/she is testing for other conditions. Once you’ve been diagnosed, you have a few treatment options. These include:

  • Eating iron-rich foods like red meat, chicken, pork, seafood, beans, spinach, apricots and raisins. You’ll also need to bone up on Vitamin C (tomatoes, oranges, peppers and strawberries) to help your body absorb the iron properly.
  • Cleaning your spleen. Your spleen oversees producing red blood cells and keeping fluids in your system. Do this by avoiding sugar for a while, going easy on alcohol, cutting out nicotine and reducing your intake of vegetable oils. Eat clean.
  • Taking supplements: Iron and Vitamin B complex are known to support your blood cells.
  • Reducing stress levels: Stress can decrease your body’s productivity and exhaust your organs.

If you still have questions about anaemia, or you are worried that you might be suffering from it, why not ask one of our doctors?

References:

How to iron out anaemia

Anaemia is a condition in which your blood has fewer red blood cells than normal. It can also follow if your red blood cells don’t have enough haemoglobin (an iron-rich protein that gives blood its red colour). Haemoglobin helps red blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. Having anaemia may cause you to feel tired, weak, and short of breath.

Anaemia affects people of all ages and ethnic groups. Both men and women can develop the condition, but women of childbearing age are most at risk due to blood loss from menstruation. Anaemia can also develop during pregnancy. If your diet lacks iron, folic acid (folate) or Vitamin B12, you could be at risk for the condition. Iron deficiency is the most common cause of anaemia. Continue reading “How to iron out anaemia”

What is a “bleeder”?

You’re amazing. No, really – you are. Just think about your blood, as an example! Blood is a transport system that keeps the whole universe of YOU supplied. It carries in everything your cells need to work, and then it takes all the garbage out afterwards! Your white cells fight infection, and your blood’s platelets know when to clot if you’re injured. Unless you have haemophilia. Continue reading “What is a “bleeder”?”