I've written a few times about giving blood as a good thing to do. It doesn't cost you anything except your time and it may save someone's life... whether or not you like the Red Cross.
Today I learned that there may be another benefit. I'm a pretty fit guy for my age. Haven't even had a cold for 5 years. Good blood pressure and low pulse rate. Really can't complain much except the pate is thinning a bit. So I was surprised when my annual physical showed that I had a bit too much iron in my blood... kind of the opposite of being anemic. My response was "so what?"
Well I guess it can be a problem leading to other health problems. If you have a full blow condition called "hemochromatosis" you can end up with liver or heart failure as the iron builds up. I don't know that I have that since tests were done today to see what, if anything, is going on. But the specialist said that if I did have the condition, it was at the level that a 25-year old normally has it. He asked if I gave blood and I said fairly often. Then he said the treatment for hemochromatosis is removing blood on a regular basis... and that I may have been saving my life by saving someone elses.I won't know for awhile if I have this peculiar problem, but it appears that the "cure" is really very simple and a "win-win" for all. Apparently, excess iron is something that can affect up to 25% of people as they age. Something worth knowing.
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