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Hi All--

This question might be a stretch as hemochromatosis is not an autoimmune disease, but as most of us on this list know by now, celiac disease can cause a number of problems not originally believed associated with celiac.

A short definition of hemochromatosis: Hemochromatosis is an inherited disease, higher in Northern European populations. The primary definition is that it is the most common form of iron overload diseases that cause the body to absorb and store too much iron. If the disease is not detected early and treated, iron may accumulate in body tissues and may eventually lead to serious problems such as arthritis, liver disease, including enlarged liver, cirrhosis, cancer and liver failure, damage to the pancreas, possibly causing diabetes, heart abnormalities, such as irregular heart rhythms, impotence, early menopause, abnormal pigmentation of the skin (appearing gray or bronze), thyroid deficiency (as if we need another cause for thyroid problems), damage to the adrenal glands. Some of the symptoms include fatigue, lack of energy, abdominal pain, loss of sex drive and heart problems.

My question is whether or not anyone on this list has been diagnosed with hemochromatosis? Men tend to be affected more than women - it usually appears between the ages of 30-50 in men and 50 or later in women. Of course, that doesn't mean it can't appear earlier - this is the norm. During the course of trying to find out just what was going on with my thyroid, my new doc ran some tests that some or most docs don't think to run. My hemaglobin was high, leading her to think 'hemachromatosis.' We're going to rerun the test next week. I'm post menopausal, but I lose blood through my kidneys from chronic hematuria. Some or many celiacs suffer from anemia, which I'm assuming is sort of the opposite of hemochromatosis (all medical-type people can correct me if I'm wrong on this point).

I'll be glad to summarize.

Cheers,
Ayn in Alabama



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