What Is Hemochromatosis?
4. Hepcidin
The symptoms of hemochromatosis are largely down to a compound known as hepcidin. This compound helps to control how much of the iron in our food we absorb. Hemochromatosis causes this compound to be affected, and this causes the patient’s body to absorb more iron than it usually would.
This excess iron is then stored in the liver, as well in some other major organs. As the iron accumulates, it can cause damage to the patient’s organs, resulting in some potentially dangerous medical conditions. Thankfully, however, it is uncommon for the iron to accumulate to the point where to can do harm.
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