Iron profile examination hemochromatosis - Finger prick

In this study:

• Iron
• Ferritin
• Transferrin

Symptoms for chronic iron accumulation (hemochromatosis) are usually vague: chronic fatigue, joint pain, diabetes, abdominal pain, impotence, cardiovascular disease, elevated liver enzyme concentrations, and skin pigmentation. Because the symptoms have little specificity (they also fit other diseases), an incomplete diagnosis is often made (e.g., arthritis, diabetes, or heart disease). Incomplete because a doctor sometimes does not pay enough attention to the underlying cause of the symptoms. In these cases, a diagnosis of rheumatism, diabetes or heart disease is made, but the cause (hemochromatosis) is not found. In these cases, despite treatment, the symptoms will continue to get worse. After all, the iron accumulation (the cause of the symptoms) continues.

It is therefore of the utmost importance to investigate whether hemochromatosis is present as soon as possible in case of vague symptoms. This examination takes place through simple blood tests.

Transferrin is a transport protein in the blood

As the name suggests, transferrin is a transport protein for iron (ferrum in Latin) but also for zinc. The transferrin level in the blood is determined when a disorder of iron metabolism is suspected. Such a disorder is seen, for example, in the hereditary disease iron accumulation disease (hemochromatosis). Transferrin is produced in the liver and can be taken as a measure of the total amount of iron in the body. When there is an iron deficiency in the body, the transferrin concentration rises. In diseases, however, one often sees low transferrin. This is because the liver produces less transferrin and the amount of iron in the body falls.

The transferrin concentration is also influenced by anemia and kidney disease. In patients who use antibiotics, the transferrin determination is not always reliable: the value found is too low.

Hereditary hemochromatosis (he-moe-Croë-muh-TOE-sis) causes your body to absorb too much iron from the food you eat. The excess iron is stored in your organs, especially the liver, heart and pancreas. The excess iron can poison these organs, leading to life-threatening conditions such as cancer, cardiac arrhythmias and cirrhosis.

Many people inherit the defective genes that cause hemochromatosis - it is the most common inherited disease in whites. But only a minority of people with the genes develop serious problems. Hemochromatosis is likely to be severe in men.

Signs and symptoms of hereditary hemochromatosis usually appear in middle age. Iron can be dropped to safe levels by regularly removing blood from your body.

Iron accumulation cause of liver problems?












Slightly elevated liver values can also indicate iron accumulation, is also an unknown phenomenon because the family doctor then usually asks if you drink a lot. Transferrin status then gives clarity.