There exists a condition caused by a gene mutation that results in the body absorbing too much iron. This state of imbalance leads to tissue damage to the liver, heart conditions and diabetes. The disorder is called hereditary hemochromatosis.
The previous research findings on hereditary hemochromatosis are conflicting in that they suggest the brain is somehow spared from the excess of iron buildup. That the negative impacts from the iron excesses were of a physical or structural kind. It assumed the tightly woven network of blood vessels and tissue of the blood-brain barrier were sufficient in protecting all invasive toxins and pathogens.
But, a recent study from the University of California San Diego, UC San Francisco, John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Laureate Institute for Brain Research, report findings that suggest this may not be the case.
Published in JAMA Neurology in August of this year, the research team said there’s evidence that an individual can inherit hereditary hemochromatosis, when both parents have the gene mutation. It goes on to say the areas of iron buildup is found in the regions that are responsible for the condition to exist.
These findings further suggest that the gene mutation primarily responsible for hereditary hemochromatosis would be a risk factor to movement disorders like Parkinson’s disease. Which is a result of a reduction of dopamine production due to nerve cell depletion.
Further information of the study found that males and not females, of white European bloodlines who carried the gene mutation from both parents were at highest risk.
According to first author Robert Loughnan, Ph.D., a postdoctoral scholar in the Population Neuroscience and Genetics Lab at UC San Diego said, “ The sex-specific effect is consistent with other secondary disorders of hemochromatosis. Males show a higher disease burden than females due to natural processes, such as menstruation and childbirth that expel from the body excess iron buildup in women.”
According to the CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hemochromatosis affects about 1 in 300 non-Hispanic whites.
The observational study looked at over 800 participants in which 165 were in the high-risk category of hemochromatosis. With the use of fMRI scans, a substantial amount of iron deposits was observed in certain motor circuit brain regions of these high-risk individuals.
They went on to analyze data gathered from almost a half a million people and found that only males with a high-risk of hemochromatosis had a 1.80 fold increase for developing a movement disorder. Even though they may not have been currently diagnosed with hemochromatosis at the time of the study.
The takeaway from this study should be to bring about a more heightened awareness to hemochromatosis to so many male individuals who are not aware they could be in the high-risk category. Early detection from advanced screening procedures would bring about helpful solutions in therapeutic interventions that would result in less severe consequences from this hidden disorder.
Dr. Loughnan said there already exists safe and approved methods of treatments to reduce excess iron buildup in brain structures.
Statistics currently indicate that forms of movement disorders in the US. are seen approximately in 42 million people ranging from dystonia, essential tremors and Huntington’s disease, with 60,000 people being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease annually. Current trends seem to indicate rates are on the rise in younger generations as well.
My hope is that this study sets into motion a sense of urgency to be proactive with annual screenings for all males for excessive iron accumulation as a prudent measure and safe practice to recommend.
-A Balanced Brain is a Better Brain-