Dear Reader,

Hemochromatosis (a.k.a., iron overload disease) is a disorder that causes the body to metabolize iron improperly, allowing too much to enter the blood stream. As a result, excess amounts of iron in the blood can be absorbed or stored by the body, causing serious tissue and organ damage if not removed. Most people who develop hemochromatosis have inherited a gene that predisposes them to this disorder. (Rarely, it can also develop as a result of receiving multiple blood transfusions or taking excessive amounts of iron supplements.)

More than one million Americans have hemochromatosis, and, for a set of complicated reasons, men are about ten times more likely to have this condition than women. Symptoms of hemochromatosis usually don't show up until middle age and include:

• chronic fatigue
• arthritis
• bronze skin tone
• signs of hypogonadism (e.g., impotence, infertility, missed periods, decreased sex drive, sparse body hair)
• an abnormally enlarged liver
• diabetes
• heart disease

The seriousness and life-threatening potential of hemochromatosis emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis (before symptoms appear) and treatment, especially since many people at risk don't even know that they have it or carry the gene. If caught in time, hemochromatosis is a completely manageable disease.

Since hemochromatosis is a recessive trait, it is expressed only if both parents contribute a recessive gene to their offspring. What does this mean for you? As your mom has hemochromatosis, it is likely that you already carry the gene. Your risk of having hemochromatosis then depends on whether or not your father's side of the family has a history of the disease and if your father is a carrier of the gene.

To find out, you (and your mom's blood relatives) need to be screened for hemochromatosis. Fortunately, detection is simple and treatment is effective. Your health care provider can measure the amount of iron circulating in your system with a simple blood test. If your levels are high, follow-up tests, including genetic testing with a genetic counselor, can be ordered to confirm the diagnosis.

Treatment for hemochromatosis is straightforward. Regularly scheduled bloodletting (also called phlebotomy) can bring blood iron down to safe levels. One fairly new way to do this is by blood donation. In August 1999, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revised their guidelines to allow people with hemochromatosis to donate their blood to blood banks. This new policy will not only allow those with hemochromatosis to receive free treatment, but it'll also provide urgently needed blood for others.

The American Hemochromatosis Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to the education and support of people with hemochromatosis and their families. They provide extensive information, referrals for treatment, a support network, and a toll-free hemochromatosis information hotline at 888.655.IRON (-4766).

Alice

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