An Irish dad has revealed how he was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder after suffering for years.
Belfast man Chris Harrison was diagnosed with hemochromatosis, also known as the Celtic Curse, which affects around one in 113 people on the island of Ireland. The genetic condition leads to abnormally high levels of iron in someone's blood and can cause extensive damage to the organs if untreated.
Chris, 45, told Belfast Live: "Your normal iron levels are around 50 micrograms per litre, if it's 300, it's considered to be abnormal and they probably then investigate and look into why that's the case. If it's is as high as 1,000 they consider that to be quite severe and they'll red flag it to the hospital."
Read more: Brave Dublin teen thanks Late Late Show viewers for raising €325,000 for Debra Ireland
Chris' GP was shocked after it was discovered that his iron levels were around 2,200 micrograms. He said: "The GP was quite concerned about it and red flag referred me to a liver consultant at the Royal Victoria Hospital."
Chris said he had been experiencing a number of symptoms for a while including fatigue/tiredness, a feeling of muscle weakness, joint and muscle pain, and abdominal pain. But despite the symptoms, Chris kept himself healthy and even completed some stages of the Tour de France.
He said: "I guess for a long time I've had some symptoms that either hadn't been diagnosed or attributed to something else, so in some respects it was a bit of a relief to know what some of the symptoms probably were. But at the same time, it was quite concerning because it all happened very, very quickly.
"They did a lot of blood tests, I was in Musgrave Park Hospital for blood tests as well as my GP and was sent to City Hospital for scans of my liver, kidneys and other organs and then was with the consultant in the Royal. So yeah it was a bit of a worrying time, but thankfully the scans of the organs seem to be OK, so it would suggest that it was caught in time and hopefully at this stage, no major damage done and they can start the treatment."
Chris said he will start his treatment this month. He said: "The treatment involves blood withdrawals, I'm told that it will be every fortnight for the foreseeable. It's 500ml of blood that they withdraw, so just under a pint each time
"Because my levels are quite elevated, I'm told it might be a long time for them to come down and then when they do come down, they reduce the frequency of the blood withdrawals, so it may eventually be a few times a year. The good thing is though that when the iron levels come down to a more normal level, the blood that they take to maintain it at that normal level can then be donated to people that need it."
Chris had tweeted about his diagnosis, after learning that Haemochromatosis UK, the organisation set up for people with the condition, were keen to raise awareness. He said his own work as Managing Director at communications and PR consultancy JComms meant he felt an obligation to share his experience and to help others to spot any tell-tale signs.
He added: "At one point they were investigating me for other things that could have been a lot worse, so whilst it's not amazing to have it, I would advise people to suss out whether they feel they have symptoms. And I guess of all the things you could get, it's not as bad as a lot of things that people have, so I sort of feel quite fortunate and positive about it.
"I saw the best of the NHS as soon as my high iron levels were discovered - swift referral to a liver consultant and a tour of Belfast hospitals for multiple blood tests, liver, kidney and other organ scans, and other investigations. My GP has been fantastic.
"I feel fortunate to have been diagnosed and to have something that can be so well managed. I was a bit reluctant to do the tweets but Haemochromatosis UK are trying to create more awareness of the condition and given what I do for a living I felt a bit obliged."
The common symptoms of genetic haemochromatosis are:
- Arthritis; may affect any joint but particularly common in the knuckle and first joint of the first two fingers (the bronze fist). If arthritis is found only in the first two finger joints this is highly suggestive of GH
- Chronic fatigue, weakness, lethargy
- Abdominal pain; sometimes in the stomach region or the upper right hand side, sometimes diffuse
- Neurological/psychiatric disorders; impaired memory, mood swings, irritability, depression
- Sexual disorders; loss of sex drive, impotence in men
- Absent or scanty menstrual periods and early menopause in women
- Bronzing of the skin, or a permanent tan, or grey tone
- Cardiomyopathy; disease of the heart muscle
- Diabetes (late onset type)
- Pituitary or adrenal issues (eg Addison's Disease)
- Liver disorders; abnormal liver function, enlarged liver, cirrhosis, liver cancer
- Decrease in body hair
Read next:
Family fear homelessness as they face eviction from their home of 60 years, Dail told
Barry Keoghan promises to drop in to old Dublin school after BAFTA win
Laura Whitmore announced as host for upcoming Rock Against Homelessness gig
Today FM calls for buskers to take part in 'The Big Busk' for Focus Ireland
First-ever Holi celebrations set to take place in north Dublin
Sign up to the Dublin Live Newsletter to get all the latest Dublin news straight to your inbox.
