1)Idiopathic or Hereditary hemochromatosis is a genetic disorder of metabolism in which the body absorbs iron in amounts greater than required for maintenance, generally about four times the normal amount.

2)Hemochromatosis can develop into diseases such as diabetes, hepatic cirrhosis, heart trouble, arthritis, liver disease, neurological problems, depression, impotence, infertility, and cancer.

3)Thirty-two million people in America (1 in 10) have the hemochromatosis gene mutation and are carriers of the disease.

4)One and a half million people (1 in 250) have the double mutation and have hereditary hemochromatosis.

5)Hereditary hemochromatosis is one of the most common genetic diseases affecting people of Northern European descent, butit is under-diagnosed due to clinician’s lack of sufficient awareness.

6)If Hereditary hemochromatosis is left untreated, it progresses from iron over-absorption to iron overload to organ damage.

7)At least 50% of men and 25% of women with the disease are likely to develop life-threatening complications.

8)In 1996 it was discovered that defects in the HFE gene, which help regulate the amount of iron absorbed from food, were associated with hereditary hemochromatosis.

9)Patients can now be tested for mutations of the HFE gene with two simple and inexpensive blood tests that measure iron levels.

10)Ask your doctor to test your iron levels because inexpensive, effective therapy is available, especially at early stages of the disease.