Hemochromatosis (Iron overload)
Would you like to know what lab results mean? DDxHub - Differential Diagnosis Hub helps to understand and explains your blood test.
Hemochromatosis (Iron overload) |
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Would you like to know what lab results mean? DDxHub - Differential Diagnosis Hub helps to understand and explains your blood test. |
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You have symptoms and blood work results. How do they correlate? What is the health condition? Some disorders have similar signs and laboratory values. DDxHub helps to define a right diagnosis. Run DDxHub now and enter symptoms and test results. |
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All information on this page is intended for your general knowledge only and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See Additional Information |
Hemochromatosis is too much iron in the body. It is also called iron overload. There are two types of hemochromatosis: Primary hemochromatosis is a genetic disorder passed down through families. It occurs at birth. People with this condition absorb too much iron through their digestive tract. Iron builds up in the body, especially the liver. Person is more likely to get this disease if someone else in her-his family has the condition.; Secondary (acquired) hemochromatosis is due to other blood-related disorders (such as thalassemia or certain anemias) or many blood transfusions. Sometimes it occurs in people with long-term alcoholism and other health conditions.; Hemochromatosis affects more men than women. It is particularly common in Caucasians of western European descent. Clinical features may be non-specific and include lethargy and malaise, or reflect target organ damage and present with abnormal liver tests, cirrhosis, diabetes mellitus, arthropathy, cardiomyopathy, skin pigmentation and gonadal failure. Early recognition and treatment (phlebotomy) is essential to prevent irreversible complications such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.
