Iron toxicity (Hemochromatosis) - Medtick
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Iron toxicity (Hemochromatosis)

What is it?

When one has too much iron in their body.

Hemochromatosis has been separated into five distinct disorders:

Cause

Vitamins, herbal and minerals

  • Increased iron ingestion
  • Increased ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) digestion

Symptoms

  • General discomfort (muscle weakness), uneasiness or ill feeling (malaise) and/or fatigue (tiredness) ?
  • Abdominal pain and/or are constant violently vomiting or vomiting longer than two days (one day if a child)?
  • Increase thirst, heavy sweating and need to urinate frequently?
  • High blood glucose levels?
  • Joint pain and stiffness?
  • Blistering of the skin (porphyria cutanea tarda) when the skin exposed to the sunlight?
  • Bronze coloured skin?
  • Abdominal heaviness, swelling in abdomen and liver area?
  • Lump appear on left hand side of abdomen due to the spleen swelling?
  • Heart palpitations and/or irregular heartbeats?

Nail changes:

Male:

Complications /Information to beware of/General tips:

Medical Emergency Condition

And/or do not wait, call for an ambulance if have or develop:

Iron poisoning

  • Stage 1 (within 6 hours after the overdose), symptoms include:
    • Vomiting blood
    • Abdominal pain
    • Diarrhoea
    • Irritability
    • Drowsiness
    • If poisoning is very serious, rapid breathing, a rapid heart rate, coma, unconsciousness, seizures, and low blood pressure may develop.
  • Stage 2 (6 to 48 hours after the overdose): The person’s condition can appear to improve.
  • Stage 4 (2 to 5 days after the overdose):
    • The liver fails, and people may die from shock, bleeding, and blood-clotting abnormalities.
    • Sugar levels in the blood can decrease.
    • Confusion and sluggishness (lethargy) or coma may develop.
  • Stage 5 (2 to 5 weeks after the overdose):
    • The stomach or intestines can become blocked by scars.
    • Scarring in either organ can cause crampy abdominal pain and vomiting. Severe scarring of the liver (cirrhosis) can develop later.

Too much iron in the body can cause:

This condition can lead to:

  • Diabetes (Type 3c)-  a type of diabetes that develops when another disease causes damage to the pancreas.
  • Calcium Pyrophosphate deposition disease (pseudogout)
    • A form of arthritis that results from deposits of calcium pyrophosphate crystals.
    • Commonly affects knees and wrists.
    • Similar symptoms to gout:
      • Sudden intense joint pain
      • Swollen joint is warm and tender to touch
      • Red skin involving the affected joint
    • It can mistaken for arthritis attack and osteoarthritis

Diet

  • A low iron diet is not sufficient to prevent or treat haemochromatosis.
  • Iron fortified breakfast cereals and large doses of vitamin C should be avoided and consumption of offal and red meat should be reduced.

This condition may show similar symptoms to:

Please talk to your healthcare professional (i.e. Medical Doctor/Pharmacist) for further advice

Detailed Information

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