What are the side effects of regular bloodletting?

Typical side effects of bloodletting therapy are caused by the volume that the body then lacks. If these symptoms occur frequently after bloodletting, an infusion can then be given to compensate for the lost fluid. Alternatively, the bloodletting can be divided into several sessions during which less blood has to be taken.

Tiredness,
Exhaustion and
Vertigo.

Prognosis

The prognosis of hemochromatosis depends most on the concomitant damage to the affected organs. In most cases, the liver is damaged by the increased iron storage. This often leads to the picture of cirrhosis of the liver.

Liver cirrhosis develops especially when hemochromatosis remains undetected for a long period of time. The main complication of liver cirrhosis is the development of liver cancer, which in itself has an unfavorable prognosis. The longer the iron overload persists, the greater the likelihood that the organs, especially the liver, will be damaged.

About 35% of patients with significant hemochromatosis develop liver cell cancer later in life. If hemochromatosis in the latent stage, in which liver cirrhosis is not yet present, is detected and appropriately treated by means of bloodletting therapy (therapy goal is serum ferritin <50 μg/l), there is no restriction on the life expectancy of the affected patients. The correct therapy can prevent iron from accumulating in the liver and damaging the liver cells. However, if the disease is only diagnosed when irreversible damage to the liver has already occurred, life expectancy is significantly limited. Depending on the severity of the liver cirrhosis, the one-year survival rate is then between 35-100 percent.

Hemochromatosis and liver cirrhosis

The liver is severely affected in hemochromatosis. 90% of patients develop an enlarged liver (hepatomegaly) due to the disease. In many patients (up to 75% of cases) cirrhosis of the liver occurs in the course of the disease.

Liver cirrhosis is a nonreversible disease of the liver tissue with scarred remodeling and limited function. Once it has occurred in hemochromatosis patients, it can only be eliminated by liver transplantation. Cirrhosis of the liver significantly increases the risk of liver cancer.