Hereditary haemochromatosis type 1 (HFE-related Hemochromatosis) is a genetic disorder characterized by excessive intestinal absorption of dietary iron, resulting in a pathological increase in total body iron stores. Humans, like most animals, have no means to excrete excess iron, with the exception of menstruation which, for the average woman, results in a loss of 3.2 mg of iron.Excess iron accumulates in tissues and organs, disrupting their normal function. The most susceptible organs include the liver, heart, pancreas, skin, joints, gonads, thyroid and pituitary gland; patients can present with cirrhosis, polyarthropathy, hypogonadism, heart failure, or diabetes.There are 5 types of hereditary hemochromatosis: type 1, 2 (2A, 2B), 3, 4 and 5, all caused by mutated genes. Hereditary hemochromatosis is the most frequent, and unique related to the HFE gene. It is most common among those of Northern European ancestry, in particular those of Celtic descent. The disease is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern, which means both copies of the gene in each cell have mutations. Most often, the parents of an individual with an autosomal recessive condition each carry one copy of the mutated gene, but do not express signs or symptoms of the condition. In this situation, the otherwise unaffected parents are referred to as carriers. Signs and symptoms
Haemochromatosis is protean in its manifestations, i.e., often presenting with signs or symptoms suggestive of other diagnoses that affect specific organ systems.
This is more accurate than cytotoxigenic culture or cell cytotoxicity assay. Another benefit is that the result can be achieved within three hours. Drawbacks include a higher cost and the fact that the test only looks for the gene for the toxin and not the toxin itself. The latter means that if the test is used without confirmation, overdiagnosis may occur. Repeat testing may be misleading, and testing specimens more than once every seven days in people without new symptoms is highly unlikely to yield useful information. Prevention
Self containment by housing people in private rooms is important to prevent the spread of C. difficile. Contact precautions are an important part of preventing the spread of  C. difficile. C. difficile does not often occur in people who are not taking antibiotics so limiting use of antibiotics decreases the risk. Antibiotics
The most effective method for preventing CDI is proper antibiotic prescribing. In the hospital setting, where CDI is most common, most people who develop CDI are exposed to antibiotics. Although proper antibiotic prescribing is highly recommended, about 50% is considered inappropriate. This is consistent whether in the hospital, clinic, community, or academic setting. A decrease in CDI by limiting antibiotics or by limiting unnecessary prescriptions in general, both in an outbreak and nonoutbreak setting has been demonstrated to be most strongly associated with reduced CDI. Further, reactions to medication may be severe: CDI infections were the most common contributor to adverse drug events seen in U.S. hospitals in 2011.