What is Hemochromatosis?
What is hemochromatosis?
Hi, I'm Dr Thomas Worland, a gastroenterologist and Hepatologist from Melbourne, Australia.
Hemochromatosis is a common genetic disorder which results in too much iron building up in the blood.
This iron can then go on to deposit in other organs, the liver, heart, pancreas can all be affected by hemochromatosis.
Hemochromatosis is a genetic disease, meaning that you need to have a gene from both parents to have the disease.
We know that about one in seven people in Australia carry one of the genes for hemochromatosis, which means about one in two hundred people in Australia, we'll end up with hemochromatosis.
Left untreated hemochromatosis results in iron depositing in many organs of the body and can end up resulting in failure of those organs. Liver failure, heart failure, diabetes and other pancreas issues.
The treatment for hemochromatosis involves having blood drained. Drainage of blood results in a lower level of iron and prevention of complications of hemochromatosis.
When hemochromatosis is diagnosed, we make sure to check all family members as it's a genetic liver disease so it does run in families.
So two facts about hemochromatosis is hemochromatosis actually confers resistance to tuberculosis. And we think that's why it still persists to this day.
Previously, people who had hemochromatosis as a resistant to a disease which wiped out a lot of people were able to live longer than people without hemochromatosis.
The other fact is American author Ernest Hemingway was thought to have hemochromatosis, which was one of the reasons that he ended up with liver disease later in life.
Additional videos on a range of common conditions are available to view on the Gastroenterology Specialist Care YouTube channel.
Note, this video is not a medical consultation. Any medical information is general in nature and is not intended to provide individual clinical advice. You should contact your doctor or other healthcare professional in relation to any concerns they may have, as your own circumstances may be different.
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