Hemochromatosis, also called iron overload disease, is an inherited condition in which too much iron builds up in your body. It is one of the most common genetic diseases in the United States.

Iron is a mineral found in many foods. Your body normally absorbs about 10 percent of the iron in the food you eat. You absorb more iron than you need with hemochromatosis. Your body has no natural way to get rid of the extra iron. It is stored in your body tissues. This is especially true with your heart, pancreas and liver. This extra iron can cause damage to your organs. Hemochromatosis can cause your organs to fail if you do not get treatment.

There are different forms of hemochromatosis. Primary hemochromatosis, also called hereditary hemochromatosis, is an inherited disease. Secondary hemochromatosis is a result of an underlying condition.

Juvenile hemochromatosis and neonatal hemochromatosis are two additional forms of the disease. Juvenile hemochromatosis leads to severe iron overload and heart and liver disease in adolescents and young adults between the ages of 15 and 30. The neonatal form causes rapid iron buildup in a baby’s liver that can lead to death.

Some people with hereditary (primary) hemochromatosis never have any signs or symptoms. Other people have a wide range of problems. These may be different for women and men and can vary considerably from person to person.

The early effects of hemochromatosis are like those of other common conditions. Some of these are:

• Impotence or loss of libido (sex drive)
• High blood sugar levels
• Abnormal liver function tests, even though no signs are present
• Arthritis, especially in your hands
• Hypothyroidism (low thyroid function)
• Abdominal pain
• Chronic fatigue
• Amenorrhea (lack of normal menstruation).
• Stiff joints

Later stages of this disease may lead to serious conditions. Some of these are:

• Diabetes
• Cardiac Arrhythmia
• Cirrhosis which is irreversible scarring of your liver
• Liver cancer
• Liver failure
• Discolored skin that is gray or bronze in appearance
• Congestive heart failure.

Hemochromatosis and/or complications resulting from it may be the cause of your disability. If this is so, do you need financial help?

Have you applied for financial assistance from the Social Security Administration by applying for Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits because of the disability caused by hemochromatosis? Were you denied?

You may plan on appealing the denial by the Social Security Administration. If you do, consider this.

You may need a disability lawyer like the one at disabilitycasereview.com to guide and advise you in what can be a long and arduous procedure. The reason for this being true is because people who are represented by a disability attorney are approved more often than those people who do not have a lawyer.

Do not wait. This is something that could affect you for the rest of your life. Contact us today to get a free review of your disability appeal.

by