Therapy of Hereditary Hemochromatosis
The treatment for hereditary hemochromatosis is a phlebotomy. Phlebotomy refers to the removal of blood from the body. A large bore IV is usually placed in the antecubital veins of a patient. One unit of whole blood is removed. This is usually approximately 500 milliliters of blood. Within 500 milliliters of blood 200-250 mg of iron is present.
Most patients require routine phlebotomies on a weekly basis. Depending on the amount of iron that has been stored within an individual's body, this may take months to years to accomplish.
When iron stores are returned to normal, maintenance phlebotomy (usually between 1 phlebotomy every 3-4 months) can be instituted. Phlebotomy under these circumstances is a life long therapy.
Other forms of treatment include chelation therapy with deferoxamine. Deferoxamine is an expensive therapy. In addition, it removes smaller amounts of iron. This is approximately 60-80 mg per day. In many patients who have high iron contents, Deferoxamine becomes a less well tolerated treatment.
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