Celtic Curse

Not enough people know this: the most prevalent genetic killer, in America and many "Western" countries, is hereditary hemochromatosis, a condition that's remarkably cheap to treat and may do little damage if detected early enough. Unfortunately many doctors don't know enough about hemochromatosis, and as a result, hemochromatosis often goes undiagnosed, particularly in women, leading to very serious and sometimes irreversible health issues.  The links on this page provide explanations of the hemochromatosis problem, including the particular problem of "hemopause" which is when the symptoms of menopause mask those of hemochromatosis. Let's fight hemochromatosis, the most common genetic killer in the western hemisphere Hemochromatosis + Menopause = Hemopause (and women of a certain age are at risk) What Ernest Hemingway's demise tells us about hemochromatosis

Ernest Hemingway, one of America's greatest writers, died from hereditary hemochromatosis on July 2, 1961. He was one of a number of Hemingways who succumbed to America's most prevalent genetic killer, a condition that is remarkably cheap and easy to treat, and may do very little damage if detected early enough. If you're like me, you were taught in school that Hemingway died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. However, it is clear to many that the underlying cause of his death was iron overload due to hereditary hemochromatosis or HHC, also known as bronze diabetes and Celtic Curse. Why? Hemingway suffered from classic iron overload issues, like liver problems, heart disease, diabetes. Depression and suicide are both associated with hemochromatosis (numerous people on his family tree committed suicide). [The first version of this article was written by Stephen Cobb in 2011. It was revised in 2016 and refreshed more recently to mark World Haemochromatosis Week 2020 , J