Complications of iron overload in the body

Excess iron is a disorder of iron reserves that leads to increased absorption of iron in the intestines causing iron deposition and damage to many tissues. The classic clinical manifestations of iron excess are patients with copper-colored skin, liver disease, diabetes, joint disease, cardiac conduction disorders, and genital impairment.

1. Causes of iron overload in the body

Iron overload is the phenomenon of the amount of iron in the body exceeding the required level. The intestines of the body lose the ability to reconcile unnecessary iron content and iron also accumulates in the liver causing iron infection, ultimately damage to other bodies. The amount of iron absorbed by the person with excess iron is 3 times the amount of iron that people do not have the disease absorbed.

The cause of iron overload is due to:

  • Genetic mutations: Mutations in the genes HAMP, HFE HFE2, SLC40A1 and TFR2 are the causes of the disease that reduce the control of iron absorption during digestion and alter the distribution of iron to parts of the body.
  • Excessive iron supplementation allowed: Excessive iron overdose due to excessive iron consumption. Or due to a large blood transfusion also causes excess iron.
  • Excess iron: Is an opportunity disease, accompanied by other conditions such as red blood cells deficiency, liver disease, diseases associated with iron absorption or alcoholism will suffer from this disease.

Symptoms of iron overload recognition include:

  • Joint pain is the most common recognizable symptom of people with iron overload.
  • Other early symptoms include weakness, fatigue, weight loss, copper or darker skin tone, abdominal pain, and loss of libido.
  • Hepatic enlarged and heart-related diseases appear numerous.
  • Other manifestations include skin pigmentation (copper color), diabetes mellitus, joint disease, arrhythmias or heart failure, genital loss due to decreased sex hormones.
  • Typical signs of late appearance are increased vein pressure and deupp compensate cirrhosis.
  • Athyroidism, insyroidism, nearthyroidism rarely occur.

2. Complications of iron overload in the body

Parkinson's disease

When the body is overloaded with iron will lead to Parkinson's disease

Iron overload can cause serious, even life-threatening complications:

  • Iron overload can cause liver failure, heart failure (stroke) and these are the main causes of death from iron overload.
  • Heart failure can lead to swelling of the legs, shortness of breath, limited physical activity, fatigue, tachycardia and nausea.
  • Iron overload causes pancreatic damage that can lead to diabetes mellitus.
  • The excess iron accumulated in the body will put pressure on the spleen, which in the long run leads to spleen failure.
  • The color of your skin is changed to copper or gray.
  • Facilitating the stimulation of bacterial growth. This is also the reason why patients with excess iron also suffer from chronic infectious diseases.
  • Some neurological diseases caused by excess iron such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's.
  • Iron overload causes fatigue, stress, anger, fear, anti-social behaviour and violence.
  • Erectile dysfunction (erectile dysfunction), loss of libido in men and non-menstruation in women are complications of iron overload.
  • For pregnant women, iron overload makes it difficult to transport blood and oxygen from the mother to the fetus. Babies are born with underweight, premature birth and even death.

3. Diagnosis and treatment of iron overload

3.1. Iron overload diagnosis

From the above clinical symptoms, the following tests and techniques are usually carried out for diagnosis:

  • Serum transferrin saturation test: Measure the amount of iron attached to the iron-carrying protein in the blood.
  • Serum ferritin test: used to measure the amount of iron in the liver.
  • Liver function test to check for liver damage.
  • Resym resonance imaging to determine the degree of iron overload in the liver.
  • Genetic mutation testing: find an HFE mutation if a high amount of iron is tested in the blood.
  • Liver biopsy: take tissue samples from the liver for a test to assess liver damage.

3.2. Iron Overload Treatment

Treatment of excess iron is mainly the elimination of excess iron. Currently the following methods are commonly implemented such as:

  • Blood collection: Is an iron infusion method that is carried out continuously by intravenous blood collection (after taking intravenous blood requires a lot of water and avoids practicing physical exercise within 1 day). This method is rated as a safe and effective treatment for iron excess. Initially, the patient was taken about 470ml of blood, taken once to twice a week. Then, when the patient's iron levels have returned to normal proportions, blood taking is carried out less often and then there is no iron infusion anymore.
  • Open veins: This procedure is applied when the patient has contracted liver, heart and diabetes.
  • Treatment of iron overload with drugs: Drugs used to treat excess iron can be taken orally such as deferiprone, deferiprox or by injection such as deferioxamine. However, the ability to remove iron from the body of each drug is different.

Blood test

One of the ways to treat iron overload is to take blood

4. Prevention of iron overload

  • If you are taking iron, stop taking the iron completely. Stop taking iron is used to reduce the amount of iron introduced.
  • People with excess iron should eat a lot of vegetables. Eat as many vegetables as possible because vegetables with fiber reduce iron absorption relatively effectively. At the same time, use died foods to quickly eliminate iron. For example: vegetables, squash, goen, sam, drink green tea, coffee, tea, pennywort, corn beard water.
  • For proteins, you should choose foods that contain less iron such as goat meat, poultry, pork. Patients should avoid iron-rich foods such as beef, beef dry, pate, animal organs such as liver, heart, lungs.
  • Patients with serious or ongoing joint disease, heart disease, increased liver enzymes, paralysis, and diabetes should also be tested for iron overload for early treatment. People who have blood ties to people with iron overload need a blood test to see if they are sick.

Share99 International Health Hub is one of the hospitals that not only ensures professional quality with a team of leading doctors, modern technology equipment system but also stands out for comprehensive and professional medical examination, consultation and treatment services; civilized, polite, safe and sterilized medical examination and treatment space. Customers who choose to perform tests here can be assured of the accuracy of the test results.

Customers can directly go to Share99 Health System nationwide for examination or contact the hotline here for assistance.

SEE MORE:

  • Iron conversion disorders in the body
  • How does iron transform in the body?
  • Harm if the body has excess iron
SEE MORE:

  • Harm if the body has excess iron
  • Ferritin test during pregnancy
  • What causes ferritin increase?

About: John Smith

b1ffdb54307529964874ff53a5c5de33?s=90&r=gI am the author of Share99.net. I had been working in Vinmec International General Hospital for over 10 years. I dedicate my passion on every post in this site.

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