Hemochromatosis Support Group
Hemochromatosis is a hereditary disease characterized by improper processing by the body of dietary iron which causes iron to accumulate in a number of body tissues, eventually causing organ dysfunction. It is the main iron overload disorder. Hemochromatosis is notorious for having symptoms that are often initially misattributed to other diseases.
Hi, I have hemochromatosis and have been stable with low ferritins for many years now. I have hypothyroidism, severe arthritis with 5 joint replacements, hyperpigmentation, fortunately no diabetes or heart issues. When diagnosed I had serious liver issues but my liver is healed now. I also suffered from crushing depression which is now gone once the iron was removed.
I recently read that clinical presentation of hemochromatosis (symptoms) skip generations. I am convinced my father died at 56 from cardiomyopathy caused by untreated hemochromatosis. He also suffered from severe chronic migraine headaches and depression. His mother died from liver cancer at age 56. So, in my case, I can trace my disease manifestations quite clearly through my ancestry. Has anyone heard of this "skip generations" thing? I suspect it is false information and will ask my dr. but in the meantime I thought I'd toss the question out for your review. Thanks for listening. I am grateful my genetic condition was caught quite early and my family has all been tested.
I have just done a lot of internet research and can find no evidence that HH skips generations. People who carry one or two HH genes do not always go on to develop HH but I can not find any evidence of a pattern.
If you let us know how to find the article that says HH does do this, I could look at it and see if I can find the research that underpinned the article.
Christine