haemochromatosis

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Hemochromatosis – the signs and symptoms

Hemochromatosis

Hemochromatosis

Symptoms

Symptoms of haemochromatosis usually begin between the ages of 30 and 60, although they can occasionally occur earlier.

The symptoms tend to develop earlier in men than in women. Women often don’t experience problems until after the menopause.

Sometimes there are no symptoms and the condition is only found during a blood test.

Early symptoms

Initial symptoms of haemochromatosis can include:

feeling very tired all the time (fatigue)

weight loss

weakness

joint pain

in men, an inability to get or maintain an erection (erectile dysfunction)

in women, irregular periods or absent periods

These symptoms can have many different causes and may sometimes just be put down to getting older.

Later problems

As the condition progresses, it can also cause problems such as:

loss of sex drive (libido)

darkening of the skin – you may look permanently tanned

tummy (abdominal) pain and swelling

yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)

feeling thirsty all the time and needing to pee frequently

severe pain and stiffness in your joints, particularly in the fingers

chest pain

shortness of breath

swelling of your hands and feet

an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia)

in men, the testicles getting smaller

These problems are often caused by complications of haemochromatosis that can occur if the condition isn’t treated early on.

When to see your GP

See your GP if you have:

persistent or worrying symptoms that could be caused by haemochromatosis – particularly if you have a northern European family background, as the condition is most common in this group

a parent or sibling with haemochromatosis, even if you don’t have symptoms yourself – tests can be done to check if you’re at risk of developing problems

Talk to your GP about whether you should have blood tests to check for haemochromatosis.

Read more about how haemochromatosis is diagnosed.

Leave a comment Posted on Diet, Patient Talk

Iron deficiency- some great sources of iron and why you need it to stay healthy.


For the last few weeks my wife has been suffering from a rather nasty cough.

A great source of iron

A great source of iron


A course of antibiotics failed to shift it so a couple of days ago she returned to the Doctors after an all clear from the x-ray machine. Greeting her at the door (I’m paranoid rather than doting) I asked what was wrong.

She patiently explained that the Doctor was not sure. But that she was run down and that it could be Iron deficiency anemia. So they gave her a full battery of blood tests and we should find out in due course.

Iron deficiency anemia means that a lack of iron in the body means a reduction in the number of red blood cells. Because these red blood cells carry oxygen around the body this means that we don’t get enough of it. In turn this cause fatigue, shortness of breath and a pale complexion.


Just in passing he UK’s NHS recommend that the amount of iron you need is 8.7mg a day for men and 14.8mg a day for women. They also say that this should be available through diet rather than supplements.

So this is where I come in. One of my duties as household chief bottle washer is that I do the shopping and cooking. So treating anemia with diet has come my mission for the week. If we can start a small foundry by Sunday I’ll not be to blame!

So I’ve decided to plan this weeks meals by using produce which I know is high in iron. The results of my research have been rather useful so far and the iron sources recommended are:-

a) Liver. Now I love liver but my wife does not. Her exception to this is pate which she found, rather to her surprise on her breakfast plate this morning.
b) Meat. A bit of a generic you’ll agree. But beef is considered very good. This is lucky as I served steak yesterday evening.
c) Green leafy vegetables such as kale and watercress. Shades of Popeye here but good news as we are fond of salad.
d) Beans. Flatulence aside this is a great opportunity to delve into the Mexican larder and knock up some refried beans.
e) Nuts. To be honest I find peanut butter too sweet for my taste.
f) Whole grains. In particular brown rice is recommended.

Which make this evening’s meal rather simple. I’m planning a kale pesto (with pecan nuts) on brown rice pasta.

But does anyone have any high in iron and high in taste recipes they would like to share. If so please feel free to do so in the comments section below.

PS By the way liver is not recommended for pregnant women as it also contains large amounts of vitamin A. Vitamin A could damage your baby.

PPS Have you heard of iron overload. You can find out more about haemochromatosis here.

Leave a comment Posted on Patient Talk

Hemochromatosis Screening and Awareness Month – Please like and share to show your support.


Ernest Hemingway - Hemochromatosis Patient

Ernest Hemingway – Hemochromatosis Patient

This month as you now know is Hemochromatosis Screening and Awareness Month.

In fact one of the first large scale social media research projects I ever conducted was with people who have Hemochromatosis or iron overload. So I have always taken an interested in the area.

Secondly and more importantly the mother of my daughter’s best friend has been diagnosed with Hemochromatosis ( or Haemochromatosis as it is spelled in England). To I thought I would put together an initial post to introduce our readers to the condition which is also sometimes called the celtic curse because of the high numbers of people of Irish heritage who inherit haemochromatosis. As well as Genetic Haemochromatosis, Iron Overload, and Bronze Diabetes.

Very simply put hemochromatosis is a hereditary illness whereby iron levels in the blood rise over time. If uncheck this can lead to cirrhosis of the liver or even liver cancer. Fatigue is the most common symptom while women may often miss periods and men suffer from erectile dysfunction.


That being said hemochromatosis responds very well to treatment. Most common is a phlebotomy. This is where a small amount of blood is taken which helps reduce the iron levels in the patient. There are also various iron reducing medications available. However people with hemochromatosis are advised to avoid alcohol and red meat.

We are hoping to run an interview with a patient with hemochromatosis later this month to help us raise awareness and support the month. So keep an eye on the blog for updates!

In the meantime it would be great if you could share your hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) story. Please share in the comments section below. You might wish to think about some of the following questions.

a) What were the symptoms of your haemochromatosis?
b) How old were you when you were diagnosed?
c) What test were you given for HH?
d) Do other member of your family have hemochromatosis?
e) What treatments did you receive and how effective have the been?

Thanks very much in advance.

PS Interestingly Ernest Hemingway had hemochromatosis as it is rumoured did Steve McQueen.