Why can’t I handle the iron in my body?

I’VE been feeling really tired and went to the GP because I thought I was anaemic. Turns out I have too much iron and I need to undergo the opposite to a blood transfusion. Plus my family have been advised to be tested. It was a very rushed consultation on New Year’s Eve so I’d like to know more. The doctor mentioned something like haematology, but I didn’t write it down.

WHAT you have is iron overload, or haemochromatosis to give it its precise name. Iron is an essential ingredient in our diet as it is the building block of haemoglobin, a component in the blood which carries oxygen.

In most patients, the body regulates how much iron we take in. Commonly patients will suffer from anaemia as a result of low iron. This can be down to poor dietary intake of iron and/ or poor absorption of iron as seen in the elderly and those with coeliac disease.

Anaemic patients feel tired, so your hunch was right in that fatigue is a common presentation of this condition. However fatigue is also a symptom of excess iron so I can understand your confusion.

Aches and pains in the joints, mood swings, loss of libido, tummy pain and even a tan can all be symptoms, so sometimes the diagnosis is obscure.

Ireland has the highest rate of this condition in the world with as many as 1 in 83 of the population being predisposed to getting it. The treatment is simply to drain the iron away. We call this venesection and it is effectively the same as donating a pint of blood.

In the early stages it may need to be done frequently and it’s a lifelong procedure if you wish to keep your iron levels in check.

It might not seem so bad to have high iron levels but the excess iron builds up as your body can’t dispose of it and it can harm your liver, pancreas and heart. So left untreated it could cause liver failure, heart disease or diabetes. Due to our genetic predisposition, screening is important.This can be done in the initial stages by measuring your blood levels at the local GP where they can check your iron balance.

A standard blood count for anaemia may not show this disease. In fact, if fatigue is your chief symptom, it may falsely reassure you because it will be normal. Ferritin is the blood marker you should request. his marker can be high for a number of reasons but with your family history it should immediately raise suspicion.

Once you get rid of the iron you will feel better and you will remove the risk of long term health damage. So although this has come as a shock, treatment is simple and highly effective. What is a normal temperature for a child? And what is the best way to take this?

IN children a temperature of over 37.5C (99.5F) is considered high but children differ and some may not exhibit high temperatures yet still be ill.

As a rule of thumb, doctors consider a temperature of 38 degrees celsuis or more a fever.

For babies we tend to use a digital thermometer under the arm rather than an ear thermometer. This digital underarm method is a must for babies under four weeks if you want a reliable reading

The device is generally kept there for 15 seconds. Ear thermometers are also used but tend to be more reliable in older children; you can use either an armpit thermometer or an ear thermometer in ages four weeks to five years.

We don’t advise using forehead digital thermometers as they are unreliable. We have also stopped using mercury glass thermometers for reasons of safety.

And as for the correct time to take a child’s temperature, I would say do not take it after a bath, if they have been very active, are in a hot room or if they are layered with clothes.

Always seek medical advice for a child with a fever who is under three months, or a child between three to six months with a fever of 39 degrees or more.

Any child with a fever for five days or more needs a review at the GP’s surgery.

And if, as a parent, you think your child is ill, then always get them checked out by a doctor, whether they have a fever or not.