Iron Profile
Valued at: $146.00
Our Price: $50.00

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Iron profile


An iron profile from HealthCheckUSA is a blood screening for the iron overload disease, hemochromatosis. This genetic disorder causes your body to absorb and store too much iron. This extra iron builds up and causes organ damange. An iron profile is important because if hemochromatosis is not treated, these organs can fail. You could even need a transplant.

How iron works in the body


A normal person's body absorbs enough iron through a regular diet. Iron is an essential nutrient, which becomes part of your blood that transports oxygen throughout the body. If your iron profile shows that you have hemochromatosis, your body absorbs more than it needs. There is no natural function to expel this excess iron, and it is typically stored in body tissues.

Hemochromatosis: An inherited condition


Hemochromatosis is an inherited condition. Although the defect is part of your DNA at birth, most symptoms don't appear until adulthood. That's why getting an iron profile through HealthCheckUSA is essential if you have a family history of the disorder. If only one parent carries the gene, then you will also become a carrier. Still, carriers will most often not develop the disease. Again, an iron profile from HealthCheckUSA can give you the "yes" or "no" you've been looking for regarding hemochromatosis.

Other reasons to get an iron profile


Even if you don't know of any family history of iron overload, you should still consider getting an iron profile. Hemochromatosis is one of the most common genetic disorders in America. Half a percent of American caucasians from a Northern European ancestry carry both copies of the gene, and one in 10 Caucasians is a carrier. Because hemochromatosis is so common, you should also strongly consider getting an iron profile before having children. The iron overload disorder is less common in other demographics, like African Americans, Hispanics, American Indians and Asians. Additionally, men are more likely to suffer from the effect of hemochromatosis than women.

Symptoms of hemochromatosis


Symptoms of hemochromatosis vary. Most people with hemochromatosis first notice notice joint pain. This will be followed by lethargy, abdominal pain, decreased sex drive and heart problems. Most men begin to notice symptoms around 40; women around 50. But an iron profile is important, because most people have no hemochromatosis symptoms until they are actually diagnosed. By the time you experience symptoms, organ damage has already taken place.

What an iron profile measures


An iron profile measures the amount of iron in the blood. The transferrin saturation component measures how much iron binds to the protein that carries iron into the bloodstream. The TIBC, or total iron binding capacity is the component of the iron profile which measures how well your blood can transport iron. Serum ferritin evaluates the amount of iron in your liver. If any of these iron profile tests show high level of iron, your doctor may order an additional iron profile test that looks for the specific gene mutation. If your iron profile reveals excess amounts of iron, an liver biopsy may be required to see how much damage has been done due to the iron accumulations.

If your iron profile shows that you have hemochromatosis, treatment is routine, but it will need to be done for the rest of your life. Initially, blood is removed—usually about once a week—to rid the body of this excess iron. When iron profile levels return to normal, those with hemochromatosis require removal of a pint of blood several times a year, for life.