It is a pleasure to announce that a resolution on iron overload/hemochromatosis awareness which I wrote with the input of David Porter, Director/Office of Specialty Society Relations, American Medical Association (AMA), was adopted by the AMA House of Delegates at the AMA House of Delegates Annual Meeting on June 22-26, 1997 in Chicago, Illinois.

Originally, I submitted this resolution to the Palm Beach County Medical Society (West Palm Beach, Florida) which then proposed it at the Florida Medical Association (FMA) state convention in Miami in May 1997. It was amended there and then was proposed by the FMA to the AMA House of delegates at its convention in June where it was amended once again and then adopted.

This resolution now stands as an official AMA directive. David Porter states that to his knowledge (and according to the 600+ pages of the AMA Policy Compendium), there has never before been an AMA directive on hereditary hemochromatosis. Copies of this resolution have been distributed by the AMA to its state presidents, delegates, 54 states and territories, 95 national specialty groups, and approximately 2000 county medical societies.

Anyone wishing a copy of this resolution may contact the AMA directly. Please note that the official resolution in its final adopted form ordered from the AMA contains ONLY the last two "Resolved" sections and not the "whereas" sections. Therefore, you might prefer to simply use the version below which contains the original "whereas" sections as well as the "resolved" sections, to print, copy or share. This copy of the iron overload/hemochromatosis resolution would be of interest to physicians treating HH patients as well as patients who have HH.

Best wishes,

Sandra Thomas, President/Founder

American Hemochromatosis Society, Inc.

mail@americanhs.org

Resolution #525: "Routine Screening for Iron Overload/Hemochromatosis"
D ate Adopted: June 1997

Write: American Medical Association 515 North State Street Chicago, Illinois 60610

Call: 312-464-5000

Introduced by: Florida Delegation (Florida Medical Association)

Subject: Routine Screening for Iron Overload/Hemochromatosis Referred to: Reference Committee E--Ira D. Godwin, MD, Chair Resolution #525: "Routine Screening for Iron Overload/ Hemochromatosis"

Date Adopted: June 1997

Whereas, Recent studies have found hemochromatosis (iron overload) is the most common genetic disease in the Northern Hemisphere which affects more than 1.25 million Americans with the double gene (homozygotes) and 32 million Americans who are single gene carriers (heterozygotes) with a prevalence of one in eight as single gene and one in 200 as double gene; and

Whereas; Diagnosis of hemochromatosis, a condition of abnormal metabolism of iron, is often difficult due to the symptoms of excess iron stored in organs and tissues, which may cause heart failure, chronic fatigue, cirrhosis, arthritis, diabetes, cancer and ultimately premature death; and

Whereas, Deaths from iron overload are needless and avoidable with early diagnosis by proper testing and aggressive treatment through drawing of blood from the patient until normal levels of stored iron are obtained; and

Whereas, All blood relatives of a diagnosed patient should be tested for the disease;

Whereas, Simple and available blood tests for iron overload are transferrin saturation and serum ferritin as well as a new DNA genetic test for the newly discovered hemochromatosis gene; and

Whereas, Recent studies have shown that routine, universal screening for iron overload is cost-effective; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the American Medical Association encourage the development of guidelines for screening patients for iron overload and hemochromatosis in association with the appropriate medical specialty societies, and be it further

RESOLVED, That the AMA work with the appropriate specialty societies and voluntary health agencies to disseminate information about iron overload and hemochromatosis.