What is Hemochromatosis?

Hemochromatosis is the most common form of “iron overload” disease. It is an inherited disorder that causes the body to store too much iron. The extra iron builds up in organs and damages them. If left untreated, the organ damage could prove fatal.

Hemochromatosis is one of the most common genetic disorders in the United States. It most often affects Caucasians, being less common in African Americans, Asian Americans, and Hispanic Americans, and American Indians.

Men are five (5) times more likely to be diagnosed with hereditary hemochromatosis than women.

Joint pain is the most common complaint of people with hemochromatosis. Other symptoms include:

  • Fatigue
  • Weight Loss
  • Weakness
  • Abdominal pain
  • Loss of sex drive
  • Heart problems
How is Hemochromatosis diagnosed?

Hemochromatosis is often undiagnosed and untreated. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people with Hemochromatosis are misdiagnosed 67% of the time and usually see an average of three doctors before obtaining a successful diagnosis. Routine medical care or checkups do not include testing for iron overload and many hemochromatosis cases remain undetected.

Blood tests can determine whether the amount of iron stored in the body is too high. Two simple blood tests are needed to diagnose iron overload:

  1. Transferrin saturation -- This test determines how much iron is bound to the protein that carries iron in the blood.
  2. Serum ferritin -- This test show the level of iron in the liver.

Both tests need to be done while the patient is fasting. The patient also needs to avoid iron and Vitamin C supplements three (3) days before the tests.

How is Hemochromatosis treated?

The first step is to rid the body of excess iron. Therapeutic phlebotomy is the preferred treatment for reducing iron stores in hemochromatosis patients. Phlebotomy is the opposite of a transfusion. Blood is taken out of body, usually one pint per treatment session. While that may seem like a large amount of blood, only 250mgs or iron are being removed with each treatment. The goal is to return the patient to a safe ferritin range of 25-75ng/ml. How often the patient receives phlebotomy treatments will depend on ferritin levels. It could be as frequent as twice a week.

What’s the bottom line in terms of underwriting?

Untreated Hemochromatosis is uninsurable. Early detection of hemochromatosis is essential because the disease’s potentially serious complications can be prevented by early diagnosis and treatment. Left untreated, hemochromatosis can damage the liver, heart, and pancreas.

Treated Hemochromatosis has a narrow window of insurability. Assuming the applicant has received treatment for their hemochromatosis, they will also have to verify that the treatment has been successful. This primarily means that the liver functions tests (called LFTs) have returned to normal. If any of the LFTs remain abnormal, then the applicant may be declined or highly rated.