Ep 459 - Hereditary Hemochromatosis: "I Have a Client Who . . ." Pathology Conversations with Ruth Werner

A client has hereditary hemochromatosis, which has affected their hip and toes. It is bad enough that they are considering joint replacement. In the meantime, they would like to receive massage for hip pain. Oh, and there's this tiny little issue about having recent strokes.

What is going on? How can iron overload cause joint damage, and is it involved in strokes too? Is bodywork even possible in this situation?

Resources: 

IHACW Episode 317, available here

Agarwal, A.R. et al. (2022) 'Postoperative Complications in Patients With Hereditary Hemochromatosis Undergoing Total Joint Arthroplasty: A Matched Cohort Analysis', The Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 30(1), pp. e99-e107. Available at: https://doi.org/10.5435/JAAOS-D-21-00105.

Arteriovenous Malformations (AVMs) | National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (no date). Available at: https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/arteriovenous-malformations-avms (Accessed: 28 August 2024).

Arthropathy and joint pain (2020) Haemochromatosis UK. Available at: https://www.haemochromatosis.org.uk/arthropathy (Accessed: 29 August 2024).

Brain AVM (arteriovenous malformation) - Symptoms and causes (no date) Mayo Clinic. Available at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/brain-avm/symptoms-causes/syc-20350260 (Accessed: 30 August 2024).

Carroll, G.J., Breidahl, W.H. and Olynyk, J.K. (2012) 'Characteristics of the arthropathy described in hereditary hemochromatosis', Arthritis Care & Research, 64(1), pp. 9-14. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1002/acr.20501.

Hemochromatosis | Arthritis Foundation (no date). Available at: https://www.arthritis.org/diseases/hemochromatosis (Accessed: 28 August 2024).

Hemochromatosis (Iron Overload): Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, Diet & More (no date). Available at: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/14971-hemochromatosis-iron-overload (Accessed: 28 August 2024).

McCurdie, I. and Perry, J.D. (1999) 'Haemochromatosis and exercise related joint pains', BMJ : British Medical Journal, 318(7181), pp. 449-451.

Porter, J.L. and Rawla, P. (2024) 'Hemochromatosis', in StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430862/ (Accessed: 30 August 2024).

Sahinbegovic, E. et al. (2010) 'Hereditary hemochromatosis as a risk factor for joint replacement surgery', The American Journal of Medicine, 123(7), pp. 659-662. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2010.01.024.

Walling, A.D. (1999) 'The Differential Diagnosis of Joint Pain: Hemochromatosis', American Family Physician, 59(9), pp. 2587-2588.