Iron deficiency is a common cause of anaemia.

In Australia current clinical management recommends use of oral iron (in appropriate doses and for sufficient duration) as first-line therapy for most patients presenting with of iron-deficiency anaemia (IDA).

An iron infusion is sometimes recommended for people who are low in iron (iron deficient). Usually iron can be given orally but sometimes patients experience side-effects from oral iron (stomach upsets, constipation) or there are situations when oral iron is ineffective or cannot be used, and an iron infusion may be recommended.

If the body iron is particularly low, an iron infusion may be recommended to increase the iron stores quickly.

The aim of the iron infusion therapy is to replenish body iron stores and to remedy anaemia, a reduced level of haemoglobin due to iron deficiency.

It is generally recommended that iron therapy initially be given orally. Iron infusions are however considered safe particularly with the newer iron containing preparations currently available.

In the past (older) iron infusions were associated with common side-effects including allergic type reactions. This is much less common with the current iron containing preparation (Ferric carboxymaltose FCM also known as FERINJECT®) but this is still a potential risk. Your doctor will talk to you about the risks and the benefits of having an iron infusion in your particular circumstances.

It is unusual to experience any significant side-effects from an iron infusion with the newer iron containing medications.

Some patients may experience a headache or feel nauseated. Less commonly some patients experience flushing, a disturbance in taste, itchiness, fever and chills.

Please see the full list of side-effects of iron infusions (Ferinject) given to you by your doctor.

There is no particular preparation needed for the iron infusion.

It is helpful if you have had plenty of fluids to drink so finding a vein for the infusion can be easier.

You will be able to drive home after the iron infusion.

The infusion usually only takes 15 – 20 minutes once the IV drip infusion is commenced.

HS is relatively common – around 1 person in every 5000 people has HS (around 800 people in Melbourne; population 4 million).

There are three main common problems associated with having HS:

There is another uncommon potential problem for people who have Hereditary Spherocytosis associated with a viral infection called “Slapped cheek”. Slapped cheek is caused by a virus called Parvovirus which can infect bone marrow cells and put the red cell producing cells “to sleep”. Because patients with HS need the bone marrow to be rapidly replacing the fragile red cells, this infection can cause a severe anaemia; patients can become very pale and sometimes even require blood transfusions. Fortunately this problem is uncommon.

HS is now diagnosed with a simple blood test. It is also important for a doctor to examine patients with HS to see if they are jaundiced or have an increase in the size of the spleen.

Most patients with HS do not need to do much about their condition at all. The bone marrow has the capacity to increase the number of red cells it produces many fold and is able to keep up replacing the fragile cells.

A few things may be helpful:

Removing the spleen (splenectomy) has been used a lot in the past in the treatment and management of patients with HS; it stops the red cells from breaking down and solves the problems of HS.

Removing the spleen has problems however – the spleen is an important organ in the immune system and patients who do not have a spleen may be prone to getting serious infections. This risk is higher in younger children but may be less than previously expected because of newer vaccinations. It is now generally recommended to avoid splenectomy in children younger than 6 years and to ensure that children who may need a splenectomy have all the appropriate vaccinations.

Another approach for some of these young patients is to remove only a small part of the spleen – partial splenectomy. This is done in a few hospitals and there is some experience to say this may be very helpful for some patients.