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Genetic blood condition haemochromatosis still under-diagnosed, advocates say
ABC NEWS (Australia)
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9/4/2023
It's the most common genetic disorder in Australia that leaves people tired and lethargic, but you've probably never heard of it.
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00:00
A busy mum running a successful business, Denise Dunn thought her daily fight against
00:07
fatigue was normal.
00:09
Then her symptoms of lethargy and joint pains worsened.
00:13
I couldn't do a day's work without getting exhausted.
00:17
I became a bit irritable and then I just thought I've got to find out what's going on.
00:26
Doctor after doctor and test after test turned up nothing abnormal.
00:31
Then finally she got an answer that changed her life.
00:34
Yeah, what's the surprise?
00:35
I'd never ever heard of it before.
00:37
Most people are familiar with the classic symptoms of an iron deficiency, feeling weak
00:42
and tired.
00:43
But the flip side, an iron overload is rarely spoken about.
00:47
It's called hemochromatosis and it's the most common genetic disorder in Australia.
00:52
And most people have never heard of it and if it's left untreated it can cause life threatening
00:57
conditions like cancer and diabetes.
01:00
Luckily the treatment is simple.
01:02
Just have to donate blood, which is good for me and it's also good for anyone needing blood
01:08
because the blood's rich in iron.
01:12
Instantly you would feel the relief in your joints.
01:15
This is a genetic disease and it's a disease where it has to be on both sides of the family.
01:24
So typically both the mother and the father carry an abnormal gene for hemochromatosis.
01:31
So often undiagnosed, Dan was researching the effects of hemochromatosis on the brain
01:37
and had no idea he was suffering from the disorder himself.
01:40
It goes to show how common it is that someone that's researching this day in and day out
01:44
can be totally oblivious to the fact they have the condition themselves.
01:47
He's now dedicating his life to creating awareness about the common signs - lethargy, fatigue
01:53
and sore joints.
01:55
When you hear these stories of people that have developed liver cancer that's terminal
02:00
and they think well if only I had known 10 years earlier that this was the cause of it
02:04
I could have done something about it.
02:06
They're the cases that sort of break your heart.
02:09
These global experts say early detection is key to saving lives and cutting health costs.
02:15
Cut it? Yep. Yep.
02:17
[BLANK_AUDIO]
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