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Essay On Hemochromatosis

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Genetic disorders are problem caused by one or more abnormalities in the genome, especially a condition that is present from birth. My genetic disorder is called hemochromatosis. What hemochromatosis does is it affects the body’s ability to absorb iron. Because hemochromatosis is a genetic disorder, it is passed along from generation to generation and that is the only way that it can be passed along. There is around a total of one million people in the United States has contracted the genetic disorder of Hemochromatosis. There is a multitude of symptoms that can occur in the short term and the long term. If you receive two of the abnormal HFE genes from the combination of your parents then you may develop hemochromatosis, you would also be a carrier for future generations. If you only receive one mutated gene than you would become what is known as a carrier. The result of the genetic mutation are the symptoms of joint pain, abdominal pain, fatigue, and …show more content…

This can also test how well your body can bind itself to iron. If there is a large amount of iron still in the body then it would be inferred that you do have hemochromatosis because of the excess amount of iron. The other way that you can be diagnosed for hemochromatosis is by having a liver function test which can see if iron overload has affected the liver. If the liver is not functioning correctly that would be a sign of hemochromatosis. Once you find out if you have hemochromatosis or not the treatments involve a blood removal, also called a phlebotomy, in order to drain out iron. The other option, and less popular one, is medication to remove Iron from the blood stream. This medication can either be injected into the blood or taken by pill (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2015). There is also a DNA test that you can take that can test for the mutated gene of

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