Haemochromatosis - Symptoms of haemochromatosis
- Introduction
- Symptoms of haemochromatosis
- Causes of haemochromatosis
- Diagnosing haemochromatosis
- Treating haemochromatosis
- Complications of haemochromatosis
Symptoms of haemochromatosis usually begin in adults between the ages of 30-50, although they can sometimes occur much earlier in life.
Most people with haemochromatosis have no symptoms and discover they have the condition during a routine blood test, or after attending screening due to a family history of the condition.
Initial symptoms of haemochromatosis can include:
- feeling very tired all the time (fatigue)
- joint pain
- in men – inability to get or maintain an erection (erectile dysfunction)
- in women – absent periods
As the condition progresses it can trigger additional symptoms such as:
- loss of libido (sex drive) – both men and women can be affected
- a change in skin colour such as looking bronzed or tanned
- enlargement of the liver which may be noticeable to the touch – in turn this can cause abdominal pain and yellowing of your eyes and skin (jaundice)
- a build-up of sugar in the blood (diabetes) which can cause symptoms such as feeling thirsty all the time, frequent passing of urine and weight loss
- severe pain and stiffness in your joints (arthritis) – finger joints are the most commonly affected
- damage to the muscles of your heart (cardiomyopathy) which can cause chest pain, shortness of breath and swelling of your hands and feet
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