What is the pathological physiology of hemochromatosis?

how does the body change when you have hemochromatosis? and What are the symptoms of this disease? Is this disease related to diabetes?

I am the carrier of the gene but I am not sick from it (yet). I will need to get tested yearly. I did some research and here are my findings.

Hereditary Hemochromatosis is iron overload. The iron in your diet is absorbed too much and first goes into your liver, then your heart and other organs, even your fatty tissues. It is detected through DNA bloodwork only. Since that test is not part of the routine tests, it can go undetected.

The treatment is simply to give blood. If not, you might develop liver cirrhosis, even early heart condition.

If your doctor orders an Hepatic Panel (complete bloodwork for liver - complementary to the DNA test) he will find out about your ferritin levels (amount of iron in the blood). If it is elevated, he will want to do a liver biopsy (take tissue out of your liver) to measure the amount of iron and check if you have cirrhosis. DEMAND sedation (at least a little bit) before. Some doctors do it without.

There is a scan that can measure the iron in your liver, it is painless. www.ferriscan.com

I strongly recommend that you visit that Yahoo Group for Hereditary Hemochromatosis for more detailed information.

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/FHH...

Also those web sites:

http://www.ironoverload.org/facts.html

http://www.americanhs.org/Irish%20in%20t...

http://www.haemochromatosis-ir.com/

http://www.upmc.com/HealthManagement/Man...

http://www.emedicine.com/RADIO/topic323....

Not related to diabetes- is an abnormal iron metabolism defect which can give rise to cirrhosis and liver failure and symptoms include arthritis, pancreatitis. May be a male gene defect since majority are males with this disease.

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