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Celtic gene 'behind Irish blood disorder'.
SourceCeltic gene 'behind Irish blood disorder'
The month of March is a time when Irish people all over the world take pride in their blood ancestry and their heritage - culminating with St Patrick's Day.
But with that same blood, because of a "Celtic gene", people of Irish ancestry are much more likely than any other global group to suffer from a potentially fatal disorder called haemochromatosis.
The condition means having too much iron in the blood.
It is estimated that one in five Irish people carry this gene and one in 86 will go on to develop haemochromatosis.
It is associated with both men and women aged more than 40.
Its symptoms include excessive tiredness, male impotence, liver enlargement, arthritis in the hand and tanning easily.
Researchers at the Mater Hospital's liver unit in Dublin first identified the strong link between the Celtic gene and the inherited disorder.
Nobody is sure about why or when the Celtic gene suddenly developed or mutated, but researchers at the hospital believe it happened 50 generations ago, about 900 AD.
Professor John Crowe from the Mater's Liver Unit says the spread of haemochromatosis "around the world is associated with the Irish Diaspora".
"So, the highest frequencies (outside Ireland) are found in eastern Australia, eastern United States, in Great Britain and then to a lesser extent in Scandinavia, northern Spain and northern Italy."
'Blood letting'
Elizabeth Cronin from south Dublin found out she had haemochromatosis after she went to her doctor complaining of constant exhaustion and a pain in her liver area.
Blood test results showed she had too much iron.
Like other sufferers she gets the excess iron out of their system by blood letting, removing the blood from her body.
"I go in on a two-weekly basis to hospital. My iron levels are beginning to decrease and now I'm feeling more energetic," she says.
"I'm going back to the things I used to enjoy, like walking and playing a bit of tennis."
Doctors say the condition can be fatal, particularly if too much iron builds up around the heart.
But in the overwhelming majority of cases, it is treatable - though the earlier it is spotted, the better.
Medics also dismiss the notion that the historic Irish fondness for iron-rich cabbage and Guinness are related to the complaint.
With doctors becoming increasingly aware of the condition, they recommend that anyone who has symptoms - such as tiredness or arthritis in the hand - should maybe get a blood test.
After all, it may not be the fault of your lifestyle - and you can always blame it on the ancestors.
Link to BBC video
SourceHaemochromatosis, also spelled hemochromatosis (see spelling differences), also called hereditary haemochromatosis, siderophilia and bronze diabetes[1]:854, is a hereditary disease characterized by excessive absorption of dietary iron resulting in a pathological increase in total body iron stores. Humans, like virtually all animals, have no means to excrete excess iron.[2] Excess iron accumulates in tissues and organs disrupting their normal function. The most susceptible organs include the liver, adrenal glands, the heart and the pancreas; patients can present with cirrhosis, adrenal insufficiency, heart failure or diabetes. [3] The hereditary form of the disease is most common among those of Northern European ancestry, in particular those of British or Irish descent.[4]
Haemochromatosis less often refers to the condition of iron overload as a consequence of multiple transfusions. More preferred terms in the United States include for transfusional iron overload or hemosiderosis used synonymously. Those with hereditary anemias such as beta-thalassemia major, sickle cell anemia, and Diamond-Blackfan anemia who require regular transfusions of red blood cells are all at risk for developing life-threatening iron overload. Older patients with various forms of bone marrow failure such as with myelodysplastic syndrome who become transfusion-dependent are also at risk for iron overload.
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From the video:
"Haemochromatosis is more prevelant in the Northern European Caucasian population, but other "populations" are starting to become at risk as well, though much more minimal"
Julie MacFarlane.
I can only hazard a guess that this "risk to other populations" is through the ever growing miscegenation which currently racks Europe and America.
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Originally Posted by Jägerzen
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