Risk Factors
There are two sub-types of hemochromatosis. There is hereditary hemochromatosis, and there is secondary hemochromatosis. One is genetic, and one is acquired. If both of your parents carry a mutated copy of the HFE gene, then you have a 25% likelihood of getting hemochromatosis. That is the biggest risk factor for the condition. Furthermore, if you have a first-degree relative with the condition, you are much more likely to develop it. Other risk factors include being Caucasian or of Northern European descent. People of other ethnic backgrounds are much less commonly afflicted. African-Americans, Hispanics, and Asian-Americans rarely get the disease. It is the most common genetic condition with 1:200 to 1:300 people getting the condition. Women lose iron through menstruation and pregnancy so they are less likely to get it too. Being a man over the age of 30 is also a risk factor. That is the highest diagnosed demographic group. Men are twice as likely to develop the condition as women. People of Irish or Scottish ancestry seem to suffer from it the most. It is also sometimes called Celtic Curse, as a colloquial shorthand, for its common incidences amongst the Irish and Scottish.
People that take supplements with iron and Vitamin C are also under high risk for developing the disease. Vitamin C causes a higher absorption of iron, and iron itself is stored up and builds up in the lungs if it is in the artificial inorganic form that is most often sold in supplements. Our body can only absorb food-form iron.
Blood transfusions are also another major cause of hemochromatosis. While you cannot catch it through blood transfusions, there can be such a large amount of iron in the blood that it causes an excessive buildup in your system. If you regularly get blood transfusions for an unrelated condition, you are at high risk for it.
A risk factor doesn’t necessarily guarantee that you’ll get the disease, but it makes the chances much higher. Different risk factors have different weighing amounts of importance when it comes to their co-incidence with the disease. A family history of arthritis or liver disease is a risk factor for the disease. These are the final results of having the condition for a very long time so it is not uncommon to see people in families with those conditions that also have other family members with hemochromatosis.