Iron overload: causes, symptoms, complications and treatment

Iron is an essential mineral that the body needs. One of the functions of iron is to form healthy red blood cells. However, when the body has excess iron, important organs such as the liver, heart, and pancreas will be used as a storage area for excess iron. If it is like that, the result is that these organs will be threatened with serious life-threatening problems.

The following is a complete review starting from the causes, symptoms, and how to overcome them.

Causes excess iron

Hereditary hemochromatosis is a condition when the body absorbs too much iron from the foods you eat. The causes of hemochromatosis are divided into three, namely primary, secondary, and neonatal.

Primary hemochromatosis

Primary hemochromatosis means that it is hereditary and is passed from parents to children. Usually this primary type occurs in 90 percent of cases. HFE is a gene that controls the amount of iron absorbed. Two common mutations in the HFE gene are C282Y and H63D. Because it is hereditary, this condition cannot be prevented.

Secondary hemochromatosis

Secondary hemochromatosis means that it occurs because of a health problem you have that triggered this condition. Various trigger conditions such as:

Blood disorders such as thalassemia.
Chronic liver disease such as chronic hepatitis C infection.
Blood transfusions and some types of anemia requiring transfusion.
Long-term kidney dialysis.
Very high doses of iron-containing pills and injections.
Rare inherited diseases that affect red blood cells, including transferrinemia or aceruloplasminaemia.
Liver disease due to alcohol

Neonatal hemochromatosis

Neonatal hemochromatosis is a condition of excess iron in newborns. As a result, iron builds up in the liver. As a result, babies are born dead or alive but cannot survive long after birth. This condition generally occurs because the mother's immune system, which produces antibodies, damages the fetal liver.

Symptoms when the body is excess iron

Symptoms and signs when the body is excess iron usually appears in middle age except for neonatal cases. As for various common symptoms that appear such as:

Fatigue
Stomach ache
Weak and lethargic
Joint pain
Loss of sexual desire
Liver damage
Menstrual periods that suddenly stop
Changes in skin color to gray due to excess iron deposits.
Enlarge heart

About 75 percent of patients who have started showing symptoms usually have abnormal liver function. Meanwhile, the other 75 percent will experience fatigue and lethargy, and 44 percent will experience joint pain. Then, changes in skin color will usually be seen in patients who are already experiencing the various symptoms that have been mentioned.

Complications due to iron overload

When you experience iron overload but it is not treated immediately, it is not impossible that your condition will worsen. Various complications that may occur, namely:

Cirrhosis or the formation of permanent scarring of the liver, which increases the risk of liver cancer.
Diabetes and its complications such as kidney failure, blindness, and heart problems.
Congestive heart failure.
Arrhythmia or irregular heart rhythm.
Endocrine problems such as hypothyroidism and hypogonadism.
Problems in joints and bones such as arthritis, osteoarthritis, and osteoporosis.
Reproductive problems such as impotence and loss of sexual desire.

How to deal with excess iron

Treatment for hemochromatosis is usually done by removing blood from the body regularly called a (phlebotomy). The goal is to reduce iron levels in the body and restore it to normal levels. Usually, the amount of blood that is removed depends on your age, health condition, and how much excess iron is in the body. Generally, it can take up to a year or more for iron to return to normal levels.

Furthermore, the doctor will also determine a variety of appropriate treatments according to the conditions and health problems that are caused. If you find that you cannot undergo the procedure to remove blood because of anemia and other diseases, the doctor will give you a drug that can bind excess iron in the body. Later, the iron that has been bound will be excreted through urine or feces in a process called chelation.

In addition, you can reduce the risk of complications from iron overload by:

Avoid supplements and mulvitamins that contain iron.
Avoid vitamin C supplements as they can increase iron absorption.
Cut down on alcoholic drinks.
Avoid eating raw fish and shellfish because they are prone to infection due to bacteria in both foods.