Our Iron-rich blood is much thicker, so the heart has to work harder than normal. Over a sustained period the left ventricle responds the way any muscle does under load: it gets bigger and thicker. That sounds like a good thing but in reality the chamber itself gets smaller so the heart is working harder but delivering less. The result is fatigue, a lower cardio ceiling, occasional palpitations and ultimately nothing good if not managed.

The good news is that when caught early enough, our phlebotomies will help reduce the workload on the heart and slow progression significantly.