What Is Hemochromatosis Symptoms
What is hemochromatosis symptoms in females – Hereditary hemochromatosis causes the body to absorb too much iron from the foods you eat. Excess iron is stored in your organs, especially the liver, heart, and pancreas. Too much iron can cause life-threatening conditions, such as liver disease, heart conditions, and diabetes.
The annoying aspect of iron is that none of the two feel the symptoms of hemochromatosis exactly the same way. In part, this explains why so many doctors fail to consider the signs of hemochromatosis in diagnosing a patient.
Genes that cause hemochromatosis are inherited, but only a small percentage of people have genes that have experienced serious problems. The signs and symptoms of hereditary hemochromatosis usually occur at the average age. Treatments include regular bleeding from your body. Since much of the body iron is contained in red blood cells, this treatment decreases the level of iron.
What Are The Symptoms Of Hemochromatosis
What is hemochromatosis symptoms in females – Excess iron can be tiring, painful, complex, confusing, and symptoms are often misunderstood. Hemocromatozelor symptoms range from mild to severe and may occur every day or periodically.
Some people with hereditary hemochromatosis never had any symptoms. Early signs and symptoms often overlap with other general conditions. The two most prominent symptoms of hemochromatosis are:
- Pain. Excessive iron pain. Almost all individuals will have a certain degree of joint, muscular or bodily pain. This is my first clue. In my experience, I began to experience the knee pain without hurting or using too much. Both knees became more painful, tougher and more painful.
- Fatigue. Having too much iron is tiring. Fatigue is clearly a trait of iron too much. Feeling less energy, unable to enjoy or even complement your daily activities, waking up in the morning, almost all of us feel symptoms of hemochromatosis.
How about symptoms of hemochromatosis that are less serious? The symptoms of hemochromatosis can also produce a number of less serious consequences but are quite unwanted. Patients, personal stories and case studies also offer an extraordinary insight into how this disease manifests symptomatically. Here are some other symptoms of hemochromatosis that are reported:
Restlessness, concentration or difficulty in focusing; Increased sensitivity to heat or cold; Sweating, low breathing or difficulty breathing; Common colds or infections; a headache, dizziness; Skin conditions, including rash and itching; Digestive disorders such as nausea, abdominal pain, constipation or diarrhea can also be caused by excess iron. However, insomnia and hair loss are two other frequently reported symptoms. Trust me, I know about the two symptoms of hemochromatosis.
What is hemochromatosis symptoms in females? Hereditary hemochromatosis is present at birth. However, most people do not feel signs and symptoms until later, usually aged between 50 and 60 years in males and after the age of 60 years in women. Women have more chance of developing symptoms after menopause when they stop losing iron through menstruation and pregnancy.
What Causes Hemochromatosis Symptoms
A gene called HFE is most often the cause of hereditary hemochromatoses. You inherited an HFE gene from each of your parents. The HFE gene has two general mutations, C282Y and H63D. Genetic tests can reveal if you have mutations in the HFE gene.
If you inherit 2 abnormal genes, you can develop hemochromatosis. You can also send mutations to your children. But not everyone inherits two genes develop problems related to iron overload in hemochromatosis. And if you inherit an abnormal gene, you will not develop hemochromatosis. You are considered a genetic mutation carrier and you can mutate with your children. However, they will not develop the disease unless inherit other abnormal genes from other parents.
Untreated hereditary hemochromatosis can cause a series of complications, especially in joints and organs, where excess iron tends to be stored in the liver, pancreas, and heart. Beyond the low pain and painful pain, hemochromatosis presents a significant risk for long-term health consequences. The absorption and accumulation of iron forms a lifetime and may lead to the following:
- Organ damage. Excess iron can cause damage to internal organs, especially in the liver, pancreas, endocrine glands, cardiovascular system, and skin.
- Cirrhosis and liver cancer. The liver is the most endangered organ of damage from too much iron, with cirrhosis and an increased risk of cancer due to iron overload.
- Insulin and diabetes resistance. If the pancreas stores excess iron, a person has a higher risk of developing insulin resistance and ultimately diabetes.
- Bronze diabetes. Bronze diabetes is a condition in which a person’s skin becomes covered with iron accumulation when it develops diabetes. Fortunately, bronze diabetes is less common with previous diagnoses.
- hypogonadism, low libido. When excess iron hits a man’s testicles, he can experience a loss of testosterone and a reduction in libido.
- Arthritis. The damage to the joints due to too much iron is more frequent in the knees, in the hands, and in the wrists.
How Does Hemochromatosis Affect Your Organs?
Iron plays an important role in various functions of the body, including assistance in the formation of blood. But too much iron is toxic. Hepcidin, a hormone secreted by the liver, usually controls the way iron is used and absorbed into the body, and how excess iron is stored in various organs. In hemochromatosis, the normal role of hepcidin is interrupted, inducing the body to absorb more iron than necessary.
This excess iron is stored in the main organs, especially in the heart. For several years, stored iron can cause serious damage that can cause organ insufficiency and chronic diseases such as cirrhosis, diabetes and heart failure. Although many people have the wrong genes that cause hemochromatosis, only about 10% of them have iron overload at levels that cause tissue and organ damage. Hereditary hemochromatosis is not the only type of hemochromatosis. Other types include:
- Juvenile hemochromatosis. This causes the same problem in young people who cause hereditary hemochromatosis in adults. But the accumulation of iron begins first and the symptoms usually occur between 15 and 30 years. This disorder is caused by mutations in the hemoglobin or hepcidin gene.
- Neonatal hemochromatosis. In this severe disturbance, iron quickly accumulates in the liver of the developing fetus. This is considered an autoimmune disease, in which the body attacks itself.
- Secondary hemochromatosis. This form of the disease is not inherited and is often referred to as iron overload. People with certain types of anemia or chronic liver disease may need many blood transfusions, which can cause excess iron accumulation.
What is hemochromatosis symptoms in females – Textbooks often focus on more physical signs and symptoms of hemochromatosis, such as pain, fatigue, arthritis, diabetes and liver function. While the symptoms of too much iron are very common, we also feel the emotional impact of hemochromatosis. Many people have told us their story of how excess iron has affected them. Very often, they tell us how they were taxed mentally and emotionally. It is certainly enough to bear the weight.