According to studies, hemochromatosis, or iron overload, is more common for people of northern Europe ancestry. In the US, one out of seven Americans suffers from it. It is very common, yet most people wouldn’t know they have the disease until they start experiencing symptoms from organ failure. This illness also has no cure, since iron is essential in most of our bodily functions.

Iron is essential in metabolism and oxygen transport. It easily exchanges electrons with other elements in the bloodstream, and though this characteristic of iron makes it essential, it can also cause damage by forming free radicals that causes damage to the cells and DNA. Iron can be a poison, and unless properly used and stored by the body, it can cause great harm. This is the reason why unless you’re anemic, you shouldn’t take more iron than you normally need.

The first case of hemochromatosis was first diagnosed in 1865 by Dr. Armand Trousseau, however, at that time, the symptoms he was describing was attributed to a disease called Trousseau’s Syndrome. Trousseau’s Syndrome is a blood clotting disorder associated with gastrointestinal cancer. Symptoms noticed by the doctor include skin bronzing, diabetes and cirrhosis. Unfortunately, Dr. Trousseau died from the same disease that he first diagnosed. Most people did not notice that aside from Trousseau’s Syndrome, Dr. Trousseau was able to study about hemochromatosis. A few decades later, Dr. Friedrich Daniel von Recklinghausen studied more about disease and gave it its name. It was earlier called “bronze diabetes”, due to its symptoms.

However, there are other symptoms of hemochromatosis, and it is a challenge for doctors to know which of the organs are showing symptoms of iron overload. This disease can cause different kinds of organ malfunction, and if undetected, can eventually cause organ failure. Despite the fact that there is really no cure for hemochromatosis, there is a way to keep iron levels normal for those people living with the disease.

Since hemochromatosis is a disease related to the blood, the most common cure for it is phlebotomy, or bloodletting. For most patients, phlebotomy sessions once or twice a week are done to normalize the iron levels in the blood. The sessions continue for maintenance purposes, mostly once or twice a year, since the patient’s body is made to absorb excess iron and there is nothing doctors can do about it.

The presence of the C282Y gene causes hemochromatosis, and this disease is genetic. Despite the fact that there is no cure for hemochromatosis, phlebotomy can save the patients’ lives. By drawing blood from the patients, iron levels can be kept at bay, keeping the patients safe from any damage that can be caused by excess iron.

Phlebotomy is an important procedure that can help save lives. There is always a demand for phlebotomists, and if you are looking for a job while helping save people’s lives, then the career of a trained phlebotomist is for you. You just need a high school diploma, courage and the willingness to work in the field of medicine. In as short as four months, you can start on your career in the field of medicine. Not only would you have a stable job, you’ll also get to do something worthwhile and very important.

About the author: 

Marissa Olson is a writer and an educator. She writes for Phlebotomy Training Group, a leading website for phlebotomy training and certification resources in the United States.