My husband has Sickle Cell Anemia. He recently had a kidney transplant (January) at Emory after being on dialysis for almost 12 years. While the kidney is great, his hemoglobin has continued to be low. He has Iron Overload as a result of so many transfusions (his first one was at six weeks of age and now he s 41). His hemoglobin is always between 6-8. His doctors say he need the transfusions, but I m really worried. His brother died in 2011 at the age of 34 from Iron Overload. Could the transplant drugs be the culprit? He takes Hydroxyurea (to increase his RBC) and Exjade for the IO.
Hi, dairy have gone through your question. I can understand your concern. Iron overload is very common in multiple blood transfusion patients. He should take cheating agent like defiperone to control his iron levels. Oxygen is the main treatment in sickle cell crisis. If needed go for blood transfusion. But take cheating agent also. Consult your doctor and take treatment accordingly. Hope I have answered your question, if you have any doubts then contact me at bit.ly/ Chat Doctor. Thanks for using Chat Doctor. Wish you a very good health.