There are many genetic diseases that we live with on an everyday basis. Some are most are considered rare, while some are considered common. One of the common genetic disorders that are not readily tested for is Hemochromatosis. Affecting over 1 million people in the United States alone, and most common in those of the Northern European descents, this is a very common genetic disease. That means 1 in every 200 Caucasians have this disease or are carriers. This is a disease that is commonly known as ‘Iron Overload’, meaning that the body absorbs too much iron in the diet and is unable to process it. Normally, we absorb about 8-10% of the iron in foods that we eat. People with Hemochromatosis can absorb four times more iron than normal. (3) So the extra iron eventually finds itself deposited on internal organs such as the liver, kidneys, pancreas and heart. Eventually this extra iron will cause damage to these organs and can lead to death as the organs fail prematurely.
Hemochromatosis has several different types associated with it, and those are when the symptoms start to manifest and start doing their damage to the body. The most common type of Hemochromatosis is type 1. In men with type 1, they typically develop their symptoms between the ages of 40-60 and women with type 1 typically develop symptoms after menopause. Symptoms can be mild to severe and range from lack of energy, abdominal pain, memory fog, loss of sex drive, heart flutters, irregular heartbeat, weakness, weight loss, and joint pain. (4)There are other symptoms that are more advanced as they disease progresses and these range from arthritis, liver problems such as cirrhosis and liver cancer, high blood sugar and diabetes, abdominal pain that does not go away, severe fatigue, heart problems, heart failure, and gray or bronze colored skin. (1)
The other types of hemochromatosis are considered rare and have only been studied in only a handful of families. They are early onset such as teenage...