Hereditary haemochromatosis

Hereditary haemochromatosis is a disease caused by a genetic disorder in which a person accumulates a dangerous level of iron in a body.

Humans, cannot quickly expel extra iron. Therefore extra iron accumulates in tissues and organs and harms the bodies normal function.

The hereditary form of the disease is most common among those of Northern European ancestry, in particular those of Celtic descent. The disease is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern, which means both copies of the gene in each cell have mutations. Most often, the parents of an individual with an autosomal recessive condition each carry one copy of the mutated gene, but do not show signs and symptoms of the condition.