World Liver Day 2024: Protecting Little Livers from Iron Overload

Iron, a crucial mineral for our body's functions like oxygen transport and energy production, can become harmful if accumulated excessively, especially in children, leading to a condition known as iron overload. Dr Neelam Mohan, Senior Director and HOD of Liver Transplant at Medanta, Gurugram, explains that while our body regulates iron absorption and storage, factors like genetic disorders, chronic blood transfusions, and excessive dietary iron can disrupt this balance, causing iron buildup in organs like the liver, heart, and pancreas.

Causes of iron overload in children include hereditary hemochromatosis, chronic blood transfusions for conditions like thalassemia, and excessive consumption of iron supplements or fortified foods. India faces a significant burden of iron overload due to the high prevalence of thalassemia, with around 100,000 patients estimated to have β thalassemia, requiring extensive blood transfusions without proper iron chelation therapy..

Iron overload silently threatens the liver, a crucial organ for iron regulation. Excessive iron can lead to hepatitis, liver inflammation; fibrosis, scarring of liver tissue; and cirrhosis, advanced scarring causing liver failure. Early detection through regular monitoring of at-risk children and timely chelation therapy, which binds and removes excess iron from the body, are key in preventing liver damage.

Challenges in managing iron overload include ensuring accessibility to affordable chelation therapy, raising awareness among healthcare professionals and the public, and implementing genetic screening programs for early identification of at-risk individuals. Despite these challenges, early diagnosis and proper treatment offer hope in effectively managing iron overload and safeguarding liver health

April 19, 2024 8:57 p.m. 129

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