Heart failure may require followup with cardiology specialist, as well as medical treatment with certain medications including ACE inhibitors and diuretics. Hypogonadism may require treatment with hormone replacement therapy, which has also been shown to reduce the likelihood of developing osteoporosis later on. Liver cirrhosis may require beta blockers, a kind of antihypertensive medication. Joint pain, called arthralgias, can be treated with NSAIDs, a type of pain medication available over-the-counter. Epidemiology
The incidence of juvenile hemochromatosis in the general population remains unknown at this time, however it is very rare. It more commonly occurs in those of European descent, becoming apparent during the first to third decades of life, and affects males and females at similar rates. References
External links
GeneReview/NIH/UW entry on Juvenile Hereditary Hemochromatosis
In these areas, there are about 1 to 2 cases per 100,000 per year. Less frequently, blastomycosis also occurs in Africa, the Middle East, India, and western North America. Blastomycosis also affects a broad range of non-human mammals, and dogs in particular are an order of magnitude more likely to contract the disease than humans. The ecological niche of Blastomyces in the wild is poorly understood, and it is unknown if there are any significant host animals.Blastomycosis has existed for millions of years but was first described by Thomas Caspar Gilchrist in 1894. Because of this, it is sometimes called "Gilchrists disease". Signs and symptoms
The symptoms of blastomycosis cover a wide range, overlapping with more common conditions; for this reason, blastomycosis has often been called "the great pretender". Many cases are asymptomatic or subclinical. Lung symptoms are common, because the lungs are infected in 79% of blastomycosis cases. However, in 25-40% of cases the disease also disseminates to other organs, including the skin.The extent and severity of symptoms depends in part on a persons immune status; less than 50% of healthy people with blastomycosis have symptoms, while immunocompromised patients are especially likely to have the disease spread beyond the lungs to other organs like the skin and bones.Blastomycosis manifests as a primary lung infection in about 79% of cases. The onset is relatively slow and symptoms are suggestive of bacterial pneumonia, often leading to initial treatment with antibacterials.