On Sun, 19 Jul 1998, Ginny Ford wrote:

> In a message dated 98-07-19 16:00:53 EDT, you write:
>
> > Well, hemochromatosis is not that common, although it is the most
> >  common inherited disease among white males.  There is, however, a
> >  lack of confidence in estimates of its frequency in the general
> >  population because it is so often undiagnosed.  I'm not
> >  suggesting that it should be a general cause for concern, but it
> >  is interesting that the difference between cardiovascular risk
> >  between men and women in general becomes insignificant under two
> >  circumstances:  If the woman has ceased menstruating or if the
> >  man is a frequent blood donor.
>
> >From what I've read this information is not entirely correct.  Hereditary
> Hemochromatosis is a genetic disease, the gene having been "discovered" in
> 1996, and is much more prevalent in the U.S. population that had been
> previously thought.  The Center for Disease Control has declared it the most
> prevalent genetic disease and estimates that one of every 200 people has the
> gene.

I'm not clear on what part you are disagreeing with.

> Not all develop the disease, but many people who are diagnosed as
> having other diseases have been found to have hemochromatosis.  Since iron is
> collected excessively in the vital organs many symptoms occur which cause
> misdiagnosis of other diseases.

Exactly.  The "symptoms" of hemochromatosis are other diseases.

> Do an Internet search on either
> hemochromatosis or "iron overload disease" and you will find many references.
> The Iron Overload Disease Association is a proponent of making the blood test
> for this disease a part of normal screening for physical exams, even in
> children.  It is not just a "white male disease".

I didn't claim that it was a "white male disease"; I said it was
the most common genetic disease among white males, which is
correct.  That doesn't imply that it only occurs among white
males.

Also, the fact that HH is a genetic disease doesn't mean that
it's not also an adaptation.

Todd Moody
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