Quote:
Originally Posted by Matthew42
My mother does have iron overload, but she isn't that concerned now as it hasn't festered in the body for that long. But it will need to be addressed in the future if her iron doesn't come down because high iron over years can cause heart and liver damage.
The hematologist is also concerned about antibodies from blood transfusions which can cause her to have reactions to future blood and platelets transfusions. But she said that have to be pretty high to cause real issues. I believe she said that give you medicines to counteract the antibodies if you develop a problem. I am not sure.
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Matthew,
There are a few approaches doctors can use to deal with patients who become refractory to transfusions, meaning that the transfusions aren't as effective, don't last as long, or "don't take" at all. For example, it could mean doing additional testing of blood or platelets, or limiting the number of donors.
Even if your mother doesn't (yet) need treatment for iron overload, I hope her iron level is being tested regularly, so you'll know if it becomes too high. This is another area where different doctors have different opinions about when to start treatment, but monitoring is the key.