What is hemochromatosis?
Hereditary hemochromatosis causes your body to absorb too much iron from the food you eat.
Excess iron is stored in your organs, especially your liver, heart and pancreas. Too much iron can lead to life-threatening conditions, such as liver disease, heart problems and diabetes.
The genes that cause hemochromatosis are inherited, but only a minority of people who have the genes ever develop serious problems. Signs and symptoms of hereditary hemochromatosis usually appear in midlife.
Treatment includes regularly removing blood from your body.
Symptoms
Some people with hereditary hemochromatosis never have symptoms.
Early signs and symptoms often overlap with those of other common conditions. Signs and symptoms may include:
- Joint pain
- Abdominal pain
- Fatigue
- Weakness
- Diabetes
- Impotence
- Heart failure
- Liver failure
- Memory fog
Hereditary hemochromatosis is present at birth. But, most people don't experience signs and symptoms until later in life — usually after the age of 40 in men and after age 60 in women.
Women are more likely to develop symptoms after menopause.
Hereditary hemochromatosis is caused by a mutation in a gene that controls the amount of iron your body absorbs from the food you eat.
These mutations are passed from parents to children.
A gene called HFE is most often the cause of hereditary hemochromatosis.
There are other forms of hemochromatosis.
Source:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hemochromatosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20351443
