It's a condition that can cause fatigue, joint pain, sexual disfunction and - if left untreated - cancer and organ failure.
It's also most likely to afflict White men over the age of 40, but it's a potential risk for anyone.
The condition, known as Hemochromatosis, results from having excess iron in your blood. It's treatable, but it poses very serious health risks and needs to be diagnosed early and managed aggressively.
Having some iron in your blood is essential for several key body functions, like oxygenating the blood, converting blood sugar to energy, and boosting the immune system, among others.
But too much iron can become toxic and cause organ failure.
There are two main causes of Hemochromatosis. It can be inherited via genetic mutations or people can acquire it over time from drinking too much alcohol, consuming too much iron through their diet, or as a symptom of other blood-related disorders.
And while it can affect men and women equally, men experience symptoms and complications of hemochromatosis more commonly.
"Typically, symptoms in men develop at a younger age compared to women, around 40," said Army Maj. (Dr.) Christian Horn, a gastroenterology and hepatology specialist at the San Antonio Military Medical Center's Department of Gastroenterology in Texas.
"Women are typically protected from early manifestations and complications of hemochromatosis due to iron loss with menses but may start to develop symptoms and complications after Click to closemenopauseA point in time 12 months after a woman's last period. This transitional period begins between ages 45 and 55.menopause."
While there are numerous genetic mutations that can cause a dangerous excess of iron in the blood, the most common gene mutation occurs in the HFE gene, Horn said.
That genetic mutation alters the body's ability to regulate iron absorption. As a result of the overload, the iron begins to deposit in various organs throughout the body, including the liver, pancreas, heart, joints, gonads, brain, and skin, causing dysfunction or abnormalities of those organs, he said.
Symptoms
Classically, hemochromatosis affects populations of European ancestry at a higher rate than other ethnicities, explained Horn. Still, it has been observed in all ethnicities.
The symptoms of hemochromatosis depend on the amount of iron accumulated in the body. The more iron that accumulates, the more severe the symptoms are likely to be.
As a result, it's possible that younger patients remain asymptomatic because a significant amount of iron has not yet accumulated.
"There is a wide spectrum of possible symptoms from hemochromatosis, including end-stage liver disease (cirrhosis) and liver cancer if not detected before significant liver damage occurs," he said.
The initial symptoms are non-specific and include fatigue, lethargy, and apathy, he furthered. But as the disease progresses, patients may notice pain in their joints (arthropathy), classically in the knuckles of the index finger and middle finger. It can also cause your skin to turn "bronze," or result in sexual dysfunction (impotence, decreased libido, infertility, or loss of menses).