When Haemochromatosis Affects Your Health

One of the first questions people ask after being diagnosed with genetic haemochromatosis is whether the condition has already affected their health.

It is an understandable concern.

You may have been told that your body has been absorbing too much iron, possibly for many years. You may also have read that excess iron can damage the liver, heart, joints and other organs. That can sound frightening, particularly if you have been feeling well and had no reason to suspect anything was wrong.

But there is an important distinction between having a genetic predisposition to haemochromatosis, having excess iron in your body, and having developed complications as a result.

The aim of this chapter is not to provide a catalogue of things that might go wrong. It is to explain what can happen, how doctors investigate possible complications, and what can be done to protect your health.

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