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ASK THE PHYSICIAN
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Hemochromatosis
The most common disorder of excess iron absorption is called Hemochromatosis. This genetic disorder is more common than is usually realized. The diagnosis is important not only for the person who has it, but for others in the family because Hemochromatosis is a hereditary disorder and, in a large family, there is likely to be more than one person with the condition. The whole significance of Hemochromatosis depends on the amount of iron overload that is present. Some people have the mutation but never go on to develop iron overload, hence they never have a problem.
It is wise for a person with Hemochromatosis to learn more and to be involved with his or her own treatment more than usually is the case because many physicians are still inexperienced with the condition. You need to find a physician familiar with Hemochromatosis to accomplish three things: 1) look for organ damage resulting from iron overload, 2) identify blood relatives who also have the problem, and 3) work out a lifetime treatment program in order to prevent the kinds of organ damage that can occur in untreated hemochromatosis. While the diagnosis is important, it is not urgent and a few months usually can safely be taken to work this all out.
If you are interested in learning more about Hemochromatosis and use the Internet, familyvillage.wisc.edu/lib_hemo.htm is a very useful source of information. Another good Internet site is: http://www.phd.msu.edu/DNA/hh_fact.html
Additionally, you can find out more about hemachromatosis at kaiserpermanente.org
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