Patient Information

General Non-malignant Haematology

How Venesection Removes Iron in Haemochromatosis

Therapeutic venesection, or phlebotomy, is the standard treatment for iron overload in hereditary haemochromatosis. The principle is simple: remove blood, and you remove iron. Understanding the basic arithmetic helps explain why genuine iron overload usually takes many venesections to correct, and why a very rapid fall in ferritin after only a few venesections may suggest that the original ferritin elevation was not due entirely to excess iron.

Ivo Andrejco · 28 Oct 2026
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General Non-malignant Haematology

Can vitamin C slow early blood cancers?

Short answer: not in the way researchers hoped — but a new trial turned up a surprise worth watching. I recently presented a 2026 study to colleagues that tested a simple idea. Could a daily vitamin C tablet slow down early, slow-growing blood disorders that sometimes turn into leukaemia? The trial, called EVITA, was run by Danish and US researchers and published in the journal Cancer.

Ivo Andrejco · 12 Oct 2026
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Patients Malignant Haematology

Chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia: a guide for patients and families

Being told that you have chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia, usually shortened to CMML, can be confusing. The name is long, it sounds alarmingly similar to several other blood cancers, and an internet search tends to produce either incomprehensible genetics or survival statistics stripped of all human context. A magnificent system humanity has built.

Ivo Andrejco · 1 Jul 2026
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Patients Malignant Haematology

Myelodysplastic Syndrome: When the Bone Marrow Factory Gets a Bit Disorganised

Myelodysplastic syndrome, or MDS, is a condition where the bone marrow does not make blood cells properly. The bone marrow is the soft, spongy tissue inside some of your bones. Its job is to make blood cells every day. It is a bit like a very busy factory — usually reliable, usually quiet, and usually not asking for attention. In MDS, the factory is still open, the lights are on, and the workers are trying their best — but the production line has become disorganised. Some blood cells are made poorly, some do not mature properly, and some never make it out of the factory at all.

Ivo Andrejco · 1 Jun 2026
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Patients Malignant Haematology

Waldenström Macroglobulinaemia

I recently reviewed a patient who was found to have an increased level of IgM kappa immunoglobulin, with an IgM paraprotein detected on serum protein electrophoresis. This was an incidental finding on routine blood testing, and the patient remains well. At present, he has no signs or symptoms to suggest an underlying lymphoma. However, the presence of an IgM paraprotein does carry an increased risk of progression over time to a blood cancer, most commonly a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma called Waldenström macroglobulinaemia, also known as lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma. Much less commonly, an IgM paraprotein may be associated with multiple myeloma, which arises from plasma cells rather than lymphocytes. With this in mind, I have put together this patient-friendly article about Waldenström macroglobulinaemia: what it is, how it is diagnosed, when treatment is needed, and what modern treatment options are available.

Ivo Andrejco · 17 May 2026
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Patients From Clinics

What is Southeast Asian (SEA) Alpha Thalassaemia Trait?

Alpha thalassaemia is a genetic (inherited) blood condition that affects how your body makes haemoglobin—the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. In the Southeast Asian (SEA) type, two of the four alpha-globin genes are missing (deleted). This is sometimes written as: 👉 -- / αα

Ivo Andrejco · 24 Mar 2026
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Patients Non-malignant Haematology

Living With Mild Chronic Neutropenia: When “Abnormal” Blood Counts Are Actually Benign

A perspective from the clinic Yesterday I saw a patient whose story is actually quite common in haematology clinics. He had mild neutropenia — a slightly reduced neutrophil count — that had been present for as long as records existed, going back nearly 20 years. Over that time he had remained completely well, with no unusual infections or health problems.

Ivo Andrejco · 10 Mar 2026
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