Hemochromatosis - What are the chances I have it?

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Hello All,

I am a 25 year old Male from Ireland (both parents are Irish) and I recently attended the doctor because I found two lumps, one under each armpit (one painful,one not). I asked the doctor what this could be and she told me they were probably blocked sweat glands. She wrote a prescription for some antibiotics and that was almost that. Before I left, I also mentioned that I had been getting persistent pressure like headaches in the top right corner of my forehead. They were not severe, merely an annoyance but their persistence was what worried me.

When I told the Doctor this she said it would be best if I had blood tests done.

I had the tests done and everything came back normal apart from my Iron levels. My transferrin Saturation was at 61%. My iron level was 36.8 umol and my TIBS was at 61 aswell.

The doctor wrote on the results that a transferrin saturation above 55% was highly indicative of Heredetry Hemochromatosis (94% predictive).

I spoke with my parents and asked if there was a family history and found out that infact, my whole family have a history of low iron levels and vitamin B12 deficiency.

The same applied with my borthers and sisters (family of 5).

Shouldn't there be a history of at least one family member with high iron levels?

Is there any way that transferrin saturation levels can be raised temporarily and result is a flawed blood test?

I gave a second blood test yesterday but was told that the screening process for hemachromatosis takes 10-12 weeks.

I have read up so much about the disease in the past two days and have really worried myself so if you have any information or previous experience it would be great if you could share.

Could any of the following have affected my results:

I Binge Drink once a fortnight/month

I Smoke 10-15 a day

I Eat alot of takeaway food.

I Was taking Centrum Advance supplements sporadically in the lead up to the blood test.

This has been a wakeup call for me so I immediately quit smoking and focused on improving my diet.

Look forward to hearing from you,

Thanks,

Ciaran

1 like, 21 replies

21 Replies

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  • Posted

    hi,ciarian,I waiting to hear about my blood tests,same as what you had.From all the research i read,it would appear your doctors diagnosis would be correct.I suppose your lifestyle does not help,because the alcohol,and sugar,and possibly the supplements have contributed to your high iron levels.However if you did not have hemochromatosis then your body would not be storing high iron levels especially at your age..I would strongly recomend a DNA test for the hemochromatosis gene C282Y, andC282Y/H63D.It only requires a swab from inside your cheek or a pin prick blood sample.It would 90% confirm your condition.The great news is even if you have hemochromatosis,because you are so young its completly treatable before it does any damage. Good luck,and try get your doctor to get the DNA test done for you.
  • Posted

    Hi there, and came across your post in my search for more info on my husband's diagnosis. He has HHC, found out last month. He and his father's side are Irish. You are young yet, so your numbers will not be that high, especially if you have the compound heterozygote C282Y/H63D mutation. That means you will not store iron as quickly as some others. And the family history does nothing to say you do or don't have it. They can all be healthy carriers, have one or more gene mutation AND have no symptoms, and still pass it on to a family member who does get symptoms. If even one of your parents were a C282Y/H63D carriers, they will 100% pass on ONE of those genes to ALL their kids. There is so much to learn of this disorder, and even previous thought ideas regarding the H63D gene and only being a carrier and low risk is now changing based on evidence and new research.

    Your iron levels are above normal, and also above optimal levels for good health. Even small elevations in iron can do permanent damage to organs, tissues and joints. So the sooner you find out the better and the moire proactive you can be from now on.

    By the way, people can be anemic and iron load at same time. SO just because your family says they don't have this, likely they could have missed the signs, or drs have attributed their symptoms or disease or causes of death to other more common ailments, like congestive heart failure, diabetes, cirrhosis, thyroid problems, cancers, arthritis, Parkinson's, MS, and many other problems.

    Look up the condition and it can answer a lot of your questions. In the meantime, your levels are not alarming or in the danger zone, my levels are similiar, I am 42 female and premenopausal so for me to have found out now is great. Most women don't until in their 60's, and men usually in their 40's and 50's, when damage has already been done.

    Do as much research as you can, dr's seem to know so little about this and it is so common. especially the Celtic Curse!

    Take care, and best wishes.

  • Posted

    PS, I also have the cysts problem, painful, and have them in other places too, than just the armpit. THe groin area for me, as well. And the headaches is a major issue.

    Supplements will NOT be a good part of your diet or health plan, as they are iron fortified. Stay away from Vit C, and your plan to clean up your lifestyle will help immensely. Drinking will affect your liver, and if you have HHC then the liver is the first to be affected, then heart, then pancreas and gallbladder, brain, etc. The only way to get rid of iron is to get your blood removed. My husband gets a pint taken out a week until his levels return to more normal. Dr. will tell you about this as time progresses.

    This is not something to ignore, and as confirmed by gene test, your family will want to make sure they have received the correct iron testing. Regular CBC's won't cut it. Low hemoglobin and hematocrit can show iron deficiency, but a person can still be iron loading.

    Hope this helps...

  • Posted

    I know this was posted a long time ago already, but I just want to say that I am the first person in my family to be diagnosed with haemochromatosis yet my cause is hereditary.

    To be honest it's hard because people haven't been aware of this disease for long and even today, so many people have zero idea that it exists and because of that, it's often undiagnosed, untreated, and then you wake up one day and your grandparent has just died of organ failure.

    I think what's happened, if you do indeed have iron overload, is that your family, because they had no idea this existed, they're under the impression that no, no one's ever had this condition before, but in reality, they have. Do you have any relatives who have suffered from horrible arthritis, organ failure, cirrhosis of the liver or liver cancer? Based on the fact that you suffer from iron overload, it's not far fetched to assume that you have family member who were left untreated their whole lives.

    Imagine if we all lived 60 years ago. Everyone who had haemochromatosis would end up dying early (most likely) because there was zero treatment.

  • Posted

    Ciaran, all of the above is good. Exception, we really do need Vit C and other anti-oxidents. However, do not consume it with foods that contain iron, especially red meat. Take it late at night before you go to bed. Have a small glass of red wine to reduce your uptake of iron. You can also achieve the same with a cup of tea, glass of milk, calcium. Just don't have oj and other vit c foods with contain iron and that includes breakfast, esp if you have a cereal b/f which is often supplemented with iron. Watch out for bread with iron as well.

    Now, the most important bit that I have found in my experience as a Haemochromatosis Support Group Leader. CELIAC diseased was mentioned by a couple of members. I researched if there was any relationship to Haemo and bingo, found that there was a high prevalence of it with people of Irish heritage.

    Celiac disease causes inflammation of the stomach/gut and left untreated, it bleeds, therefore making the human host anaemic, even those with Haemo! Then when the celiac is treated with the correct diet, etc. they then go into iron overload and require venesections. However, i would much prefer venesections than a bleeding gut and problems everytime I ate. So check that out.

    I, too, was the only one in a family of 5 children who has Haemo. The other 4 are all carriers, as well as my mother. In retrospect, my father must have had full blown Haemo but was never tested before he died of cancer even though he knew i had it. He wanted the dr to discover it by himself. Too late. We with Haemo are prone to cancer as cancer thrives on iron.

    HELICOBACTOR PYLORI also thrives on iron, so be tested for that. If positive, it would be making your gut bleed.

    His mother died early from liver disease and she did not drink alcohol (definite sign) and his father died of cancer too, and if nothing, he would have been a carrier. My grandfather's parents were a Dane and a Scot. Both Celtic/Viking heritage.

    My son was tested and he turned up compound C282Y/D63H which meant he got the D63H from his father who was born in Scotland but his parents have Irish heritage. He, my husband was homozygous D63H. Both his parents died of cancer. My C282Y is very aggressive compounded by the fact that it took my dr 9 years to diagnose. By then my health was stuffed.

    Be very glad you were diagnosed early. Become health conscious - don't ruin your health, wealth and relationships with binge drinking - sorry for sermon.

    Please keep letting us know how you are going. We Haemo people care.

    • Posted

      Wow!  I have also just been diagnosed with Hemochromatosis!  I am 58 years old and have been having major health issues, including constant headaches (pretty much all my life), digestive problems and many more issues.  Just by luck, the doctor tested me for this and, yes, I am positive!  Does anyone know how bad my results are?  Normal range is 15-150 ng/ml.  I am at 174 ng/ml.  The doctor said that we need to keep watching this and not to add any more iron to my system.  My circulating blood iron was within normal range.  Here's where it gets interesting.  I also had one genetic component for celiac disease.  Since I'm on a gluten-free diet, we won't know for sure, but the doctor does suspect this.  And the final kick--I called my mom to tell her and she said that my dad had this and that he had to have blood taken out every so often.  My parents were divorced, so I had no idea about this and it is just by chance that we even know about this illness since they weren't living together, but he called my brother to take him to the hospital from time to time.  And, he's Irish!  It worried me that it was stated, that in addition to all the organs that it can affect (liver, heart, etc). that it can affect the brain.  I had a stroke-like incident three years ago and have not been able to recover.  It was determined that it was not a stroke, but no one knows what it was.  All the tests have been negative, until this one.  I have no idea if it is related, but is there someone on this thread that knows?  This is the first time I have had a positive result for all the tests I've taken for this stroke illness and am wondering if it is related at all.  Thank you so much!    
    • Posted

      Hi Elisabeth, first - have you had a genetic test to confirm and what are the results, i.e. homozygous C282Y, H63D (typed in wrong in my earlier post) or combination of both?  If you are truly haemochromatosis, i.e. double fault, then your mum has it too or is a carrier.  She is entitled to be tested to make sure, as is your brother.

      If you have celiac as well, then that would have kept your ferritin level low, but your TS% would be >50 if you have HH.  When you have sorted out your celiac, on the appropriate diet, etc. then you will start loading iron.  There is nothing you can do to stop this as it is unhealthy to not eat foods with iron in it, although I don't think any exist that do not have iron in it.  However, do not eat red meat every day or all day like some I know.  Have a cup of tea, coffee, a small glass of red wine (if your liver has not been affected), cheese, yoghurt, milk, calcium with/after your meal to reduce the uptake of iron.  Don't drink orange juice or anything manufactured that claims to have extra vit c or iron in it.  I do take a vit c supplement late at night as we do need vit c and antioxidants.

      Yes, HH does affect the brain but only if the protection has been breached or you have been overloading iron for a long time (but I must say, that everyone is affected differently - there are no hard and fast rules here).  I was given beta blockers for arrythmia which dilated the blood vessels and let the iron in giving me dementia like symptoms.  Brain went all foggy, could not string more than 2 words together, brain not talking to my bladder, could not remember where I was driving to (the dr) and then could not remember how to get there, then could not read traffic lights.  I gave up driving.  I have got better and can now articulate better, but my husband prefers to drive!

      While your ferritin iron level is not too high yet, you could look at donating blood every 3 months in the meantime so that it does not get worse.  They will test your haemoglobin to make sure that it is not too low first.  If you are ineligible to donate, talk to your dr about having a therapeutic venesection every 3 months.  (I am assuming you are in menopause and not menstruating any more which will also make you start iron loading.)

      Keep in mind that non HH people can donate every 3 months so it is not bad for you - on the contrary.

      Let me know what your test results were as per first paragraph.  Good luck.

       

    • Posted

      Thank you, Sheryl

      My doctor has ordered the genetic test which I will take soon.  This is very confusing to me.  Do both parents have to have the gene?  I think that only my dad does.  I'll post the results when I receive them.  I'm so sorry to hear about your brain issues.  I hope that you're much better now.  It's horrible to have your brain go screwy on you.  I'm not sure if this explains my brain issues, but it is the only test that showed an abnormal result.  I am in menopause, but just recently and I think my hormones do have something to do with the situation.  In August, I will have stopped having my period for a year and will be considered post-menopausal.  Maybe things will improve???  I sure hope so.  I have been very ill for the past three years.  Also, I recently became histamine intolerant and can hardly eat anything (I've lost 55 pounds).  I'm working with an Integrative MD to see if I have a digestive issue (she's the one who discovered high ferritin).  So, we'll see about the celiac.  

      I hope that your health is good, Sheryl.  I appreciate you responding to me.  I'll let you know about the test results.

    • Posted

      Yes, both parents have to have at least one HFE gene for you to inherit 2 HFE genes.

      Helicobacter Pylori can make you histamine intolerant too.  Mine keeps returning meaning I have to have more doses of antibiotics.  In the meantime, I am trying Kefir - kind of like a strong yoghurt.  You buy the culture seeds from a health store, add some good organic milk, leave it out on a bench o/nite or longer till it separates, sieve out the culture, save it to make another batch, have a tablespoon or two of the yoghurt before each meal - made quite a difference for me.  Can eat again and don't get bloated.  I don't think it is a cure though in the long term as the bacteria need strong doses of antibiotics to kill them off.

    • Posted

      Thanks, Sheryl.  I have just been tested for h. pylori and thankfully, I'm negative.  The doc is now testing me for SIBO.  I can't eat fermented foods because it triggers my histamine reaction.  However, I have heard that there is a low-histamine probiotic that I may try.  I also tried DAO and had a a reaction to that.  Now I'm having a weird thing where when I eat, my blood pressure drops 10 points (about 85/55)--may be a POTS thing.  My body has just collapsed in the past three years; it seems to have started with the beginning of menopause.  I have CONSTANT headaches, too.  Tried bioidenticals and had a terrible reaction.  Isn't it strange how we're all human but we all react to things in a different way?  When I get my genetic test back, I'll be sure to let you know the results.  You've been very helpful.  Thank you!  Have a wonderful holiday weekend.
  • Posted

    Hi

    I too have high iron 36.2 umol/l and high iron satursation % 61, my ferritin levels are 32 ug/l and tibc 59.7 umol/l which are normal. I am 53 years young and still have my monthly menstrual. Blood work prior only showed low estradiol 108pmol/l which i believe is menopause values. My iron levels were always 17.3 or so and saturation 23%. Now 3 months later i got bloodwork done due to a chest pain the night before and they have doubled and tripled in saturation? Went to regular doctor and he said nothing to worry about, so i then went back to the local doctor who did the recent bloodwork and she thought it was nothing as well? i asked for another test so waitng to see next week. I am from scottish and irish background and my neice had aplastic anemia 11 years ago. Does anybody know if ferritin levels would be still normal because of my monthly periods?

    Any input would be Great!

    Thanks Ingrid

    • Posted

      Hi Ingrid, your high iron and high transferren sat % seems to indicate genetic haemochromatosis and it is possible that your menstrual cycle is keeping your ferritin low, esp if it is heavy.  However, I do know of 21/22 yr old women who were diagnosed with HH because of their symptoms and high levels of ferritin, and they were menstruating.  Have you been donating blood by any chance?  Could you have celiac disease which would keep your levels low?

      However, a sudden increase could be as a result of infection, inflammation, malignancy and other causes.  I, too, developed left side chest pain in the year prior to being diagnosed (took 9 years of hell to get a diagnosis), and although now "de-ironed", whenever my ferritin iron rises for some reason (to about 80) I get left side chest pain, and arrythmia.  I am one of the ones where iron deposits in the heart, although hard to prove.  The best advice I got from a specialist cardiologist, was that even if they could see deposits of iron in my heart, they can't cut it out, drain it out, etc., only venesections will work.  So I just had to relax in knowing that venesections will take care of it, and I am never going to stop.

      Please keep getting your Iron Studies tested (every 3-6 months) as you are on the verge of menopause and you have the ancestry for it.  Don't let them fob you off.

      If ultimately you are genetically tested for HH and you do not have 2 faulty copies, then be assertive about finding out what is causing it.  Donating blood is good for you too if your Haemoglobin is good.

       

    • Posted

      Hi Sheryl,

      Thanks for the info. I believe what you are saying is probably right. I called the hemochromatosis society in British columbia and they said what you did. I am getting results from the second blood test tomorrow and then I will order the genetic test on my own. The weird thing is my Mum died in 2008 from either liver or pancreas cancer very suddenly (2 days) and only  went to the doctor twice in 20 years. I contacted her doctor who is going to give me some answers of what she died from exactly. That might shed a bit of light on things as well.The lady in British Columbia at the Hemochromatosis Society said that in b.c. alberta and ontario provinces as soon as the iron saturation rate enters into the high values they automatically check for the gene, however not in the province Iam in? I guess different rules within the same country. Thank you again for the input as I thought it was all pre menopause stuff going on!

      Cheers Ingrid

    • Posted

      Hi Sheryl,

      Well went to the doctor yesterday and iron levels were normal now, but when the second test was performed it was only 7 days after my period where the first test was 23 days after my period. Maybe that could explain the values being normal now. Anyways our province wont test so I ordered my own private test which will take about 2 weeks only. This way if I do carry the gene then when menopause time comes i can address the issues head on. Thanks for the support!

      Cheers Ingrid

  • Posted

    Hi All,

    I am reporting good news!  I have finally taken the genetic test and I DO NOT have any of the genes that cause hemochromatosis--so, that means that I do not have it!  My Dad did have it, though, so we were pretty sure that I have it, too.  However, I've done some research and hemochromatosis can be caused by alcoholism in some people, and yes, he was an alcoholic.  It's possible that he had the gene, also, but he did not pass it on to me.  Nor my Mom.  My doctor attributes my high ferratin level to inflammation in my body.  So, this was good news to me and I hope to some others of you as well.  However, I received bad news as well.  I also had a SIBO test and I tested sky-high for SIBO (Small Intestinal Baterial Overgrowth).  It was almost off the chart and was the one of the very highest my doctor had ever seen.  In fact, she has one other patient who is just a bit higher than me and she is almost totally bedridden.  I have been very ill as well.  So, that may explain many of my mystery symptoms, which is actually good news.  We're going to start an anti-SIBO regime right away.  As my doctor explained, I may get worse before I get better because the bacteria has to be killed, but in the long run this will help.  I know this is not a discussion of SIBO, but I wanted to let everyone know because if you're having mystery symptoms like me, this could be at least one reason.  All my best to everyone.  Lots of love to all of us.

    • Posted

      Hi Elisabeth, I really wish drs would not confuse non genetic iron overload with haemochromatosis - it confuses people.  If your dad had real HH (i.e. with 2 faulty genes), you would have definitely inherited one gene.  If he was only a carrier (1 gene), it would not have caused his high ferritin level - his lifestyle would have.  There have to be other markers in the Iron Studies test to indicate HH as well.

      Inflammation is another cause of high ferritin as your dr says.  I hope your SIBO is easily treated - I don't know anything about that, but I can imagine it would make you very sick.  Good luck with it!

    • Posted

      Thank you so much, Sheryl.  Yes, this is a tricky subject.  I do really like my doctor and when he said that my ferratin count was very high and that I may have haemochromatisis, I freaked out.  Then when I found out that my Dad did (he is deceased, so we'll never know about the genes), I kind of confirmed it in my own head.  I give my doctor so much credit for even checking the ferratin level; most doctors would not do this and many people never know.  So, while I have the SIBO and I have been very sick, I am grateful to this doctor for even thinking of this and now treating me for the SIBO.  I guess what I've learned from this lesson and that I can share is to look at the results of any test and try not to freak out and jump to conclusions.  Continue to get the answer that you really need.  Sometimes it will be just as you thought, but sometimes you will get a pleasant surprise!--in this and any other illness.  All my best to all who are suffering with any health situations, whether physical or other.  I'm spreading love and hope and prayers to you all and Mother Earth.  Take care.  Truly, Elisabeth

      P.S.  I still suspect something beyond the SIBO because my health crisis has been very extreme, but we'll take care of that first and see what happens.  One step at a time.

       

    • Posted

      Elisabeth, 11 months later .....  how have you gone with your treatment?  Has your health improved?

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