Hemochromatosis is a disorder where too much iron builds up in the body. Sometimes it’s called “iron overload.”
Normally, intestines absorb just the right amount of iron from the foods eaten. But in hemochromatosis, the body absorbs too much, and it has no way to get rid of it. So, the body stores the excess iron in the joints and organs like the liver, heart, and pancreas. This damages them. If it’s not treated, hemochromatosis can make your organs stop working.
There are two types of this condition: primary and secondary.

causes

Primary hemochromatosis is hereditary, meaning it runs in families. If there are two of the genes that cause it, one from mother and one from father, there will be a higher risk of getting the disorder.
Secondary hemochromatosis happens because of other conditions. These include:

• Certain kinds of anemia 

• Liver disease

• Getting a lot of blood transfusions

White people of northern European descent are more likely to get hereditary hemochromatosis. Men are 5 times more likely to get it than women.

Sign and Symptoms

Up to half of the people who have hemochromatosis don’t get any symptoms. In men, symptoms tend to show up between ages 30 and 50. Women often don’t show signs of this condition until they’re over 50 or past menopause. That may be because they lose iron when they get their periods and give birth.
Symptoms of hemochromatosis include:

• Pain in joints, especially knuckles

• Feeling tired

• Unexplained weight loss

• Skin that has a bronze or gray color

• Pain in belly

• Loss of sex drive 

• Loss of body hair 

• Heart flutter 

• Foggy memory

Sometimes people don’t get any symptoms of hemochromatosis until other problems arise. These may include:

• Liver problems, including cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver

• Diabetes 

• Abnormal heartbeat

• Arthritis

• Erectile dysfunction (trouble having an erection)

taking a lot of vitamin C or eat a lot of foods that contain it, can make hemochromatosis worse. That’s because vitamin C helps the body absorb iron from food.

Diagnosis 

It can be tricky for the doctor to diagnose hemochromatosis because other conditions have the same symptoms. They might get tests if:

• There are symptoms.

• A family member has the disorder.

Doctors usually diagnose hemochromatosis based on blood test results, but they may first suspect hemochromatosis based on:

• Medical and family history

• Physical exam

• Blood tests

• Liver biopsy

• MRI 

Treatment

In primary hemochromatosis, doctors treat it by removing blood from the body regularly. It’s a lot like donating blood. the doctor will insert a needle into a vein in the arm or leg. The blood flows through the needle and into a tube that’s attached to a bag.
The goal is to remove some of the blood so that iron levels return to normal. This could take up to a year or more. Blood removal is divided into two parts: initial treatment and maintenance treatment.
Initial treatment. patient visits to doctor’s office or a hospital once or twice a week to have their blood drawn. the patient may have up to a pint taken at a time.
Maintenance treatment. Once a patient’s blood iron levels have gone back to normal, he/she still has to have blood taken, but not as often. It’ll be based on how fast iron builds back up in their body.

Diet recommended

It’s recommended to avoid: 

• raw or undercooked shellfish, which can cause a serious infection in people with liver disease

• supplements that contain iron 

• supplements that contain vitamin C, which can increase the body’s absorption of iron

medicines, such as herbal or botanical medicines. Dietary and herbal supplements are usually safe, but some may contain high levels of iron or unsafe chemical or herbal products.
For patients with hemochromatosis and without cirrhosis, it’s recommended to limiting the amount of alcohol drinking to help prevent liver damage. For patients which have cirrhosis, they should stop drinking alcohol completely.
Most people with hemochromatosis do not need to change their diet to eat less iron. Diet changes have a relatively small effect on iron levels, compared to the much larger effect of removing iron during phlebotomy treatment.