Haemochromatosis. A personal viewpoint.
BACKGROUND
Hereditary haemochromatosis is an inherited disorder of iron metabolism. It is the commonest inherited disorder in people of Celtic or northern European descent. The early symptoms are nonspecific and the diagnosis is often delayed or missed. Early treatment prevents complications and leads to a normal life expectancy.


OBJECTIVE
This article describes the common early symptoms and the initial tests for the detection of haemochromatosis. It also gives the current recommendations for the screening of relatives.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients in the early stages of iron overload are usually seen by general practitioners. An increased awareness of haemochromatosis among doctors will lead to earlier diagnosis and improved outcomes for these patients.
Newstead
J
J
jennyn@netspace.net.au
D006432:Hemochromatosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans