2023-06-06 08:00:53
One in 300 French people would be affected by hemochromatosis, a disease that is often unknown to the general public. Since 2004, the Hemochromatosis France association has organized a week of information and awareness on hemochromatosis, which takes place this year from 1is June to June 7, 2023. The opportunity to learn more regarding this disease!
What is hemochromatosis?
Hemochromatosis is a genetic pathology common, associated with excess iron in the blood. Due to a malfunction in the liver, iron from the diet is absorbed in excessive amounts. This is the reverse mechanism of iron deficiency anemia. In women, some of the excess iron will be eliminated during menstruation. But in any case, too much iron circulates in the blood of people with hemochromatosis.
The iron will then be stored in different organs, such as the liver, the pancreas, the heart or the bones. These organs will somehow “rust”, with iron deposits here and there in the organs. Hemochromatosis can then become a cause of multiple chronic pathologiesas :
A week of information to talk regarding hemochromatosis
Most often, hemochromatosis is related to a genetic mutation on the HFE gene. Within families, people may not carry the mutation, carry it but not develop the disease, or even carry the mutation and develop the disease. Other rarer, non-genetic forms of hemochromatosis also exist. The disease is often only discovered around the age of 30 to 40 when the first symptoms of iron overload appear. But the disease can also be discovered during a banal blood test or when a family member has hemochromatosis.
The hemochromatosis information and awareness week is an opportunity to talk regarding this disease to as many people as possible. A poster has been designed by the Association Hémochromatose France and TV spots will be broadcast in the media. The association offers all those who wish to take advantage of this day to screen for the disease. Indeed, the earlier the disease is detected, the less the iron overload might damage the organs and the less serious the pathology and its complications will be.
Regular bloodletting to remove excess iron
The diagnosis of hemochromatosis is rapid, made from a simple blood test, with a ferritin assay, then a genetic test looking for a mutation in the HFE gene. Both chromosomes must carry the mutation for a person to develop the disease, but only one affected chromosome causes the mutation to be passed on to the next generation. Once diagnosed, hemochromatosis can be treated but not cured, thanks to regular bloodletting and successive.
Bleeding will force the body to draw on iron stores, until it returns to a normal blood iron level. These bleedings are essential to prevent complications related to iron overload. They are carried out under the same conditions as a blood donation, in a center of the French Blood Establishment (EFS). However, the blood cannot be used for future blood transfusions. The rate of bleeding depends on the importance of the iron overload.
Estelle B., Doctor of Pharmacy
Sources
– AFEF. afef.asso.fr. Accessed May 31, 2023.
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