User:Mr. Ibrahem/Iron overload

Iron overload, also known as hemochromatosis, is the build up of excessive iron in the body. Symptoms may include tiredness, abdominal pain, darkening skin, and sexual dysfunction. Complications may include cirrhosis, liver failure, liver cancer, heart failure, diabetes, arthritis, and infections.

The most common causes are hereditary haemochromatosis (HHC), a genetic disorder, and iron overload from repeated blood transfusions. Rarely it may occur due excessive dietary intake or liver injury during early development (the latter known as neonatal hemochromatosis). Risk factors for more severe disease include other liver diseases and alcoholism. Diagnosis is generally by blood tests, which may be supported by a liver biopsy.

Most cases of iron overload due to HCC are treated with the regular removal of blood by phlebotomy. Initially this may be done twice per week and once levels come down may occur two to three times per year. Those who have iron overload due to other reasons may be treated with chelation therapy. Neonatal hemochromatosis may be treated with exchange transfusions and IVIG. Occasionally a liver transplant is required. Iron supplements and vitamin C should be avoided.

About 1 in 400 white people have HHC and it is the most common autosomal recessive disorder in this group. Onset of symptoms in males is usually after the age of 40 and in females after the age of 50. While males and females are equally likely to carry the mutation, males are 2 to 3 times likely to develop complications. Outcomes in HHC are good if the disease is detected early and treated. The symptoms of iron overload were first described by Armand Trousseau in 1865, though it was not until 1889 that von Recklinghausen linked the disease to iron.