Haemochromatosis - Symptoms of haemochromatosis

Symptoms of haemochromatosis usually begin in adults between the ages of 30-50, although they can sometimes occur much earlier in life.

Most people with haemochromatosis have no symptoms and discover they have the condition during a routine blood test, or after attending screening due to a family history of the condition.

Initial symptoms of haemochromatosis can include:

feeling very tired all the time (fatigue)
joint pain
in men – inability to get or maintain an erection (erectile dysfunction)
in women – absent periods

As the condition progresses it can trigger additional symptoms such as:

loss of libido (sex drive) – both men and women can be affected
a change in skin colour such as looking bronzed or tanned
enlargement of the liver which may be noticeable to the touch – in turn this can cause abdominal pain and yellowing of your eyes and skin (jaundice)
a build-up of sugar in the blood (diabetes) which can cause symptoms such as feeling thirsty all the time, frequent passing of urine and weight loss
severe pain and stiffness in your joints (arthritis) – finger joints are the most commonly affected
damage to the muscles of your heart (cardiomyopathy) which can cause chest pain, shortness of breath and swelling of your hands and feet