Hemochromatosis (HHC) is a hereditary illness afflicting one of every 300 Canadians. It is the overloading of iron into the major organs of the body by the blood system affecting the joints, liver, heart, pancreas and endocrine glands.

Although potentially fatal when left untreated, it is easily controlled when diagnosed early before the excess iron can cause harm.

Bob Rogers is now the Executive Director of the Canadian Hemochromatosis Society and he visited the NSBSG this past Wednesday.

The society?s mandate is to educate and promote the discussion of this little known affliction by people with their GP?s so that testing for HHC becomes as common as testing for cholesterol. There is no known cure, however treatment is as simple as giving blood.

Some of the symptoms include chronic fatigue, abdominal pain, bronzing of the skin, arthritis, diabetes, thyroid problems, elevated liver enzymes and triglycerides, just to name a few.

When blood is expelled, iron is needed to build the red cells used to replenish the body. Therefore, as blood is donated, iron is drawn from wherever it resides in the body to rebuild red blood cells and therefore iron levels in the body are reduced.

The only limitation on this treatment is that the blood services will accept donations only once every fifty-seven days. For someone newly diagnosed, special treatment is required to augment the donation cycle until the iron drops below certain levels to make regular donations viable.

The society helps its members by providing up to date information through a biennial newsletter, and an online forum as well as assisting members in finding doctors practicing in treatment close to where they live. They also inform members how to recognize and treat the illness in their children.

“We need to get the message out better than we have in the past,” says Bob. “We are not searching for a cure. Our mandate is to get the message out and have people tested and treated. We hope that in ten years, testing becomes a regular part of annual check-ups and we will be out of business.”

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