Editing Hereditary haemochromatosis (section)

== Screening ==
Standard diagnostic measures for haemochromatosis, [[transferrin saturation]] and [[ferritin]] tests, are not a part of routine medical testing. [[Screening (medicine)|Screening]] for haemochromatosis is recommended if the patient has a parent, child, or sibling with the disease.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Summaries for patients. Screening for hereditary hemochromatosis: recommendations from the American College of Physicians |journal=Ann. Intern. Med. |volume=143 |issue=7 |pages=I-46 |year=2005 |pmid=16204158 |doi=10.7326/0003-4819-143-7-200510040-00004 |url=http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/full/143/7/I-46 |s2cid=53088428 |url-access=subscription |access-date=17 March 2007 |archive-date=16 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070316195801/http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/full/143/7/I-46 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Routine screening of the general population for hereditary haemochromatosis is generally not done. Mass genetic screening has been evaluated by the [[U.S. Preventive Services Task Force]], among other groups, which recommended against genetic screening of the general population for hereditary haemochromatosis because the likelihood of discovering an undiagnosed patient with clinically relevant iron overload is less than one in 1,000.  Although strong evidence shows that treatment of iron overload can save lives in patients with transfusional iron overload, no clinical study has shown that for asymptomatic carriers of hereditary haemochromatosis treatment with venesection  ([[phlebotomy]]) provides any clinical benefit.<ref name="pmid16880462">{{cite journal |title=Screening for haemochromatosis: recommendation statement |journal=Ann. Intern. Med. |volume=145 |issue=3 |pages=204–8 |year=2006 |pmid=16880462 |doi= 10.7326/0003-4819-145-3-200608010-00008|author1= U.S. Preventive Services Task Force|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>[http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/uspstf/uspshemoch.htm Screening for Hemochromatosis] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070206025443/http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/uspstf/uspshemoch.htm |date=6 February 2007 }} U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (2006). Summary of Screening Recommendations and Supporting Documents.  Retrieved 18 March 2007</ref> Recently,  patients are suggested to be screened for iron overload using serum ferritin as a marker. If serum ferritin exceeds 1000&nbsp;ng/mL, iron overload is very likely the cause.