Acute Free-Iron Exposure Does Not Explain the Impaired Haemorheology Associated with Haemochromatosis.

Introduction: Given the severity of the current imbalance between blood donor supply and recipient demand, discarded blood drawn from the routine venesections of haemochromatosis (HFE-HH) patients may serve as a valuable alternative source for blood banks and transfusion. We investigated whether functional or biochemical differences existed between HFE-HH and control blood samples, with particular focus upon the haemorheological properties, to investigate the viability of venesected blood being subsequently harvested for blood products.

Methods: Blood samples were collected from HFE-HH patients undergoing venesection treatment (n = 19) and healthy volunteers (n = 8).