My husband had three sets of iron infusions now they want to wait 3 months before they check again. Is this how infusions work?
Hi Sophie, I suffer from iron deficiency anaemia as a result of my UC. I have previously had 8 infusions spread over an eight week period a good few years back. When I needed an infusion again the doctor suggested another type of infusion which meant I only need the one infusion... I believe it's referred to as a 'total dose'. I had my last infusion last Friday, about a year after the one previous to that.
With respect to how they work. You may already be aware that during the infusions iron is intravenously fed into the blood stream. From here a protein called transferrin attaches to it and delivers the iron to the liver. Iron is stored in the liver as ferritin and released as needed to make new red blood cells in the bone marrow. When red blood cells are no longer able to function (after about 120 days in circulation), they are re-absorbed by the spleen. Iron from these old cells can also be recycled by the body.
Blood tests can be taken any time after six weeks after the iron infusion to see if ferritin levels are rising as required. I suspect the reason for suggesting a blood test after three months is because it takes the body approximately three months to replace red blood cells and therefore the test will give the doctor a more accurate result. If you are worried of course then I would recommend you speak to your husbands doctor. I'm sure he would be able to clarify.