Remember that the treatment can be worse than the disease

On p 1314 a general practitioner and her patient describe the effect on the patient's life of repeated venesections for haemochromatosis. The patient had well controlled type 2 diabetes and was identified as having hereditary haemochromatosis during a study. She had no symptoms but became tired after venesections, her diabetes deteriorated, and the need for venesection prevented her making planned visits abroad. Her GP realised the burden treatment was placing on her, and a commentary from another GP uses the story to illustrate the need for doctors to support patients in managing uncertainty.