A Clare doctor who has has been diagnosed with haemochromatosis, also known as iron overload, has shared her own experience of the condition during World Haemochromatosis Awareness Week, urging people with a genetic history to seek testing.<\/p>\n
Haemochromatosis causes the body to absorb too much iron from food and is Ireland\u2019s most common genetic condition.\u00a0If left untreated excess iron can build up in vital organs leading to irreversible damage, with serious complications including liver disease, heart problems,\u00a0diabetes\u00a0and joint damage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Often referred to as the \u201cCeltic Gene,\u201d Ireland has the highest prevalence of the condition in the world, with around 1 in 5 people carrying the gene, including Ennis\u2019 Dr Maire Finn. <\/p>\n
Approximately 1 in 83 are genetically predisposed to developing haemochromatosis, however despite how common it is, haemochromatosis is often missed because the early symptoms can be vague and easily mistaken for stress,\u00a0ageing\u00a0or general fatigue.<\/p>\n
Common warning signs include persistent tiredness, brain fog, abdominal\u00a0discomfort\u00a0and joint pain, particularly in the knuckles sometimes\u00a0referred to as the \u201ciron fist.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Dr Finn became extremely tired a number of years ago, she admits she first blamed the stresses of every day life, despite her own brother\u2019s diagnosis of the condition.<\/p>\n
She openly tells us, \u201cIt\u2019s actually embarrassing from the point of view that I am a doctor and completely ignored this. It\u2019s probably a cautionary tale. If you do have a family history, that\u2019s the biggest clue you may actually have the condition. The symptoms tend to be very vague and overlap with so many other conditions. It\u2019s often hard when people present with fatigue or joint pain or abdominal pain which can be for lots of reasons, so it isn\u2019t always the first thing a doctor would be thinking of, including myself.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of my brothers was diagnosed, and I just completely ignored it because I\u2019m very busy. I was extremely fatigued, but had two small children, was a single parent working full time. Who isn\u2019t tired?\u201d <\/p>\n
It was only when she went for an insurance medical that the condition was spotted, with Dr Finn saying the diagnosis was an \u201ceye opener\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cFatigue was the main thing for me. I was in my early 40s, and women, because we menstruate, it is managing it a little, not perfectly of course, but we are losing a little blood. Then pregnancy will deplete our iron stores. It was after I\u2019d had my children when it presented in me. I had some abdominal pain. But these are vague symptoms so it\u2019s really important to have it in the back of your mind if you have a family history, could it possibly be haemochromatosis? It\u2019s important to check for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
She explains the screening test isn\u2019t carried out during routine bloods and urges people to talk to their GP if they have concerns. Initial screening involves a simple iron panel blood test to measure iron levels and if Serum Ferritin or Transferrin Saturation (TSAT) levels are raised, a genetic blood test is then recommended.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She assures that once diagnosed treating haemochromatosis is very easy. \u201cYou restrict your diet from an iron point of view, but mostly it is about just taking away blood, the opposite to getting a blood transfusion, with a venesection.\u201d
Once the condition is manageable, one way of alleviating it can even help wider society by donating blood.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy ferritin levels were very high originally, and it took a long time to get it down to a manageable level. But once somebody is at a kind of a manageable level, and the ferritin levels need maybe a venesection once every six months, very often the best thing to do is to donate blood to the Irish Transfusion Service. That is a really feel good thing as well, because you\u2019re doing something that is good for you and good for the general population too. That\u2019s mostly what I do now.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Irish Haemochromatosis Association (IHA), the only registered charity in Ireland dedicated to supporting people living with haemochromatosis and their families, is urging anyone experiencing symptoms to speak with their GP about screening for the condition. <\/p>\n
Speaking about Ireland\u2019s role in advancing research and awareness,\u00a0Professor John Ryan, Consultant Hepatologist at Beaumont Hospital and Chair, Irish Liver Foundation, said: \u201cThe key message is that once haemochromatosis is diagnosed, it is highly treatable. It may be frequently missed because early symptoms are so non-specific, but we have the tools to diagnose this early and prevent complications. Along with the European Iron Club, I\u2019m delighted to be hosting a conference in Trinity College in June, bringing together a truly outstanding line-up of speakers and international experts who are advancing vital research in haemochromatosis.\u201d<\/p>\n
Professor Suzanne Norris, Consultant in Hepatology and Gastroenterology at St. James\u2019s Hospital\u00a0added, \u201cEarly diagnosis of haemochromatosis is vital, which is why serious complications as a result of haemochromatosis can be avoided if a patient is diagnosed as early as possible. The work of the Irish Haemochromatosis Association has helped to increase awareness of Ireland\u2019s most common genetic disorder and educate the public on identifying symptoms and seeking treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Irish Haemochromatosis Association is expanding its work within nurse\u00a0education, by partnering with the HSE NW nurse education and training team and the Irish General Practice Nurses Educational Association to deliver a pilot venesection training programme for nurses in the community. The aim is to make venesection treatment more accessible for patients in community settings.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For further information or support, visit\u00a0www.haemochromatosis.ie.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Clare doctor who has has been diagnosed with haemochromatosis, also known as iron overload, has shared her…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":489512,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[164215,210263,210264,103,61,60],"class_list":["post-489511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-breakingnews","tag-dr-maire-finn","tag-haemochromatosis","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/489511","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=489511"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/489511\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/489512"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=489511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=489511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=489511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}