Sudden fatigue, joint pain, sexual dysfunction: hereditary hemochromatosis harms, sooner and later
New research is showing how badly HH impacts quality of life Hereditary haemochromatosis (HH) is one of the most common genetic conditions in people of Northern European ancestry, yet many have never heard of it. In the late 1990s my wife started suffering the effects of HH but was not diagnosed until 2008. Ever since then I have tried to raise awareness of this condition whenever I can. Unfortunately, in the decade and a half since I created this website (July, 2010), researchers have found that HH may have a greater impact on the health of those who have it than was once thought. This article provides an update on the shifting assessment of HH and shares even more reasons for us all to learn about this potentially disabling and sometimes deadly condition. People with HH inherited certain mutations of a gene called HFE that may absorb more iron than they need. Over time, this "iron overload" can build up in organs such as the liver, pancreas, heart, and joints, resulting in...