What is hemochromatosis?
Hereditary hemochromatosis, which you'll also see written as haemochromatosis, affects men and women of northern European descent. In fact, according to the Irish Haemochromatosis Society, it's especially prevalent among Irish and other Celtic people. A gene mutation causes sufferers to store excess iron throughout their lifetimes. For instance, an unaffected man or woman might have four grams of iron in his or her body, while someone with hemochromatosis might have 15 to 60 grams when he or she is diagnosed, says the CHS.
For those with this condition, too much iron can cause liver and heart damage. Symptoms include arthritis of the knuckle and first finger joint, a change in skin colour, chronic fatigue, and joint and abdominal pain. Unfortunately, these symptoms are also indicative of other conditions and are sometimes overlooked. But an easy blood test ordered by your physician can help detect hemochromatosis. Treatment usually includes having blood withdrawn regularly, similar to the process of blood donation.
You might be wondering, is it possible to have too much iron in your diet if you don't have hemochromatosis? An overabundance of iron rarely happens from dietary intake alone, says Health Canada, though it can occur if you're taking too many iron supplements. Check with your health-care practitioner to be sure.
How much iron should you be getting?
Provided you don't suffer from hemochromatosis, men and postmenopausal women need eight milligrams a day, and premenopausal women need 18 milligrams a day. If you have heochromatosis, however, you store an extra gram of iron per year permanently, which means that the condition is usually only detected at midlife or later after decades of accumulation.
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