Aug 27 2008
Hemochromatosis
I have an interest in the gentic disorders. It is a field that there is always something new happening. I had a friend in high school who had cystic fibrosis, a gentic disorder and it my interest started with her. I was thinking of a story about siblings that were seperated because their parents gave them up and I had to think of reason why a court would open closed adoption records for one sibling to find another. A genetic disorder but which one I needed something that was genetic but would not be diagnosed until later in life. I did some searching and found Hemacromotosis a blood disorder where a person has to much iron in the blood. If interested you can read the story, Spaghetti by the Neon Light.
Iron is something that body can not expel and it builds up espcially in the liver. This is a genetic disorder for people of Irish or British decent. And some signs that you should get tested if a parent or sibling has joint disease, severe fatigue, heart disease, elevated liver enzymes, impotence and diabetes. In the story that mother has diabetes. Here are some symptoms that you may have hemochromotosis liver cirrhosis, a feeling that you are not right and something is wrong ( malaise), insulin resistance, erectile dysfunction, conjestive heart failure, arthritis of the hands, shoulder and knees.
Once diagnosed the doctor can do oragn therapy, you can refrain from alcohol and vitamin c, red meat and shell fish. Once you are stable they will take blood to rid the excess iron.
Hemochromatosis is the most common form of iron overload disease. Primary hemochromatosis, also called hereditary hemochromatosis, is an inherited disease. Secondary hemochromatosis is caused by anemia, alcoholism, and other disorders.
I wondered if there is a specific diet recommended for individuals with hemacromotosis