Haemochromatosis can cause a range of problems in your body, primarily in the liver.
It is thought that the extra iron causes damage by increasing the production of harmful oxygen
molecules in your body cells. Known as ‘free radicals’, these molecules are linked to other
diseases and understood to play a role in the body’s aging process. They can be toxic when there are too many and this is made worse by the presence of iron. Free radicals will interact with other molecules to damage cells, tissues and organs.
In the liver this takes the form of scarring, known as fibrosis. Additionally, your liver may become enlarged (hepatomegaly). With ongoing liver damage, fibrosis may progress to cirrhosis. If this happens, you are at greater risk of liver cancer, known as hepatocellular carcinoma, or HCC.
Haemochromatosis is likely to lead to serious problems in other organs. Pancreatic damage
leading to diabetes and dysfunction in the sexual glands are common, as is the development of
arthritis. Heart disease may also develop.
It will also increase your skin pigmentation (hyperpigmentation) so that your appearance
develops a yellowish or bronzed effect.
Haemochromatosis is most commonly found in people of northern European descent. The highest frequencies of the disease are found in people from the British Isles and Ireland. The most common form probably originated in a single individual in Europe at the end of the last ice age and spread as people moved into Northern and Western Europe.
Haemochromatosis occurs in both men and women although it is more likely to affect men becasue women lose iron each month through menstruation.
In the UK the genetic condition is found in about one in 200 people. However, only about one
person in 5000 people is ever diagnosed with haemochromatosis. The fact that there are no
specific symptoms associated with haemochromatosis supports the view of disease specialists and related health organisations that it is under-diagnosed by doctors and that the disease prevalence is higher.