Symptoms of haemochromatosis usually begin in adults between the ages of 30-50, although they can sometimes occur much earlier in life.

Most people with haemochromatosis have no symptoms and discover they have the condition during a routine blood test, or after attending screening due to a family history of the condition.

Initial symptoms of haemochromatosis can include:

• feeling very tired all the time (fatigue)
• joint pain
• in men – inability to get or maintain an erection (erectile dysfunction)
• in women – absent periods

As the condition progresses it can trigger additional symptoms such as:

• loss of libido (sex drive) – both men and women can be affected
• a change in skin colour such as looking bronzed or tanned
• enlargement of the liver which may be noticeable to the touch – in turn this can cause abdominal pain and yellowing of your eyes and skin (jaundice)
• a build-up of sugar in the blood (diabetes) which can cause symptoms such as feeling thirsty all the time, frequent passing of urine and weight loss
• severe pain and stiffness in your joints (arthritis) –  finger joints are the most commonly affected
• damage to the muscles of your heart (cardiomyopathy) which can cause chest pain, shortness of breath and swelling of your hands and feet