When it comes to how the mineral iron affects the body, we are more familiar with anemia, the disorder when there is iron deficiency. But are you aware that the body may also experience iron overload, and develop hh blood condition known as hereditary hemochromatosis?
This just proves that, too much of one thing is just as bad as too little, especially when we’re dealing with the human body. The body always strives for equilibrium, a state wherein a natural balance occurs. Symptoms (aches, pains, fever, swelling, discoloration, etc) are manifested as the body’s wake-up call to us. It is the body’s way of saying, “something is wrong!”
Hereditary hemochromatosis is a type of genetic disorder that makes a person’s body absorb larger quantities of iron coming from consumed food and drinks. A person suffering from hereditary hemochromatosis may have never used any sort of iron supplement before but could ultimately discover that a lot of serious medical conditions he/she experiences is brought about by iron overload.
Iron is one of the trace minerals that is essential in promoting good health. This is derived from one’s diet, with the body normally absorbing around 10% of this mineral from food that is eaten. For people who have hereditary hemochromatosis, about double of this amount is absorbed by the body. As soon as iron is absorbed, whatever is in excess does not leave the person’s body but is in the joints and other major organs.
Through a good number of years, iron can accumulate to dangerous levels that either cause damage or destroy any organ completely. An iron overload will result in several health problems, more commonly, a type of diabetes, which does not respond to treatment with insulin. It is because of this condition that HH is also referred to as bronze diabetes.
Individuals who have the disease may start developing symptoms by the time they reach 20 years of age, although this would typically affect people between the ages of 40 to 60. This is just about the time when the iron levels in the body have reached their most damaging stages.
Men would be more prone to develop iron overload symptoms than women, probably because iron is normally lost during menstrual period. Nonetheless, this disease is not limited to men or people who are much older. An iron overload could be present and without a person knowing it, could be developing health problems even before symptoms are displayed with people of all ages or genders. There are also rare cases when children do suffer from the disease.
Hereditary hemochromatosis is a dangerous disorder that must not be ignored. This condition, when left untreated can lead to very serious diseases that may prove fatal. These include:
1. Liver cirrhosis – which could eventually lead to liver cancer
2. Diabetes that could cause kidney failure, heart conditions, and
blindness
3. Congestive heart failure, wherein iron overload in the heart could
keep blood from circulating freely
4. Arrhythmia or irregular heart rhythm
5. Discoloration of the skin that could either be bronze or gray due to
iron deposits on the cells of the skin
A positive hemochromatosis diagnosis is necessary to be able to start treatments as soon as possible. The use of chelating agents (deferoxamine) have been successful in removing excess iron in the body. These chelating agents adhere to iron molecules and then are removed from the body as waste.
Also, patients usually undergo phlebotomy, at least twice a week, for controlled removal of blood. This is a long process, and may take as long as two years. A lot of patients can’t also tolerate needles, so this method is less popular than the use of deferoxamine.
The good news is, doctors – internists, cardiologists and endocrinologists are in the forefront of this fight against iron overload and hereditary haemochromatosis. Routine examinations are followed up when suspicion for hereditary disorders are presented. Further testing is then ordered. And when positively diagnosed, doctors follow a protocol of treatment which guarantees that the patient has better chances of survival, because in some cases, treating the disease aggressively is the only way to go.
So, if you have family members who have been positively diagnosed with hereditary hemochromatosis, go and have yourself checked. Don’t delay. It may save your life.
