Thank You ABC: For highlighting hemochromatosis (Celtic Curse) on St. Patrick's Day

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This is great! A news organization making the connection between Celtic curse, St. Patrick's Day and hemochromatosis. Please share this story with friends (a more complete blog post on this is in the works). The more people know about this condition the better. Celtic Curse is a leading cause of diabetes, liver cancer, joint pain, and heart disease. Yet it is easy to treat, by giving blood.

Hemochromatosis Heroes like Dr. Martin L. Alpert, a family practice physician in Santa Monica, Calif., deserve national recognition for insisting that routine physical exams include inexpensive tests of serum iron and iron binding capacity, used together to calculate iron saturation. Why? "because I picked up two or three cases a year for probably the last 25 years." Such a simple way to avert needless human suffering, not to mention the medical cost savings, clearly in the millions at this one practice alone when you consider the alternative, treating 50 people suffering from full-blown, undiagnosed hemochromatosis. Thank you Dr. Alpert!

Comments

  1. Donna DaSilvaMarch 17, 2012 at 7:27 PM

    Thank you for sharing the information. Keep the information coming...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Amy TaylorMarch 17, 2012 at 7:41 PM

    I am a 38 year old wife, and mother of 3. I was diagnosed with C282Y Homozygous Hemochromatosis, in January of 2011. I am very thankful for my doctor for doing everything she could think of to help me find out why I was losing my hair. If she hadn't conducted so many iron tests, I would be a lot sicker thank I am. The January that I was diagnosed my ferritin level was 497 and my iron percentage was 92%. I cannot imagine going without treatments, not to mention not knowing that what I have is genetic. Because my doctor was persistent, my children (all of whom are carriers for hemochromatosis) know that the potential for them to carry on my illness is not scary, and that because of my returned health hemochromatosis is not a death sentence. I am so thrilled that the media is drawing attention to this iron disorder; it gives me hope!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Todd Sheets MSGB DthFebruary 23, 2014 at 8:40 AM

    HI, I was diagnosed with Celtics Disease in 2011. My ferritin level 1597. Now I have diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, Bummer, but grateful to have phlebotomy as an option for maintenance of my disease. My liver is damaged but life could be worse. Thanks for sharing. Prof. T

    ReplyDelete

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