The following symptoms and complaints may indicate hemochromatosis:
Early symptoms (nonspecific complaints).
- Fatigue
- Arthralgia (joint pain)
Symptoms (late symptoms)
- Diabetes mellitus (diabetes)
- Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (hypofunction of the gonads).
- Cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease) – structural heart disease that leads to limitation of performance.
- Liver cirrhosis – irreversible damage to the liver leading to gradual connective tissue remodeling of the liver with limitation of liver function.
- Arthritis (inflammation of the joints)
- Dark skin pigmentation (bronze or olive color).
- Nail symptoms: koilonychia (spoon nails) – nail change with trough-shaped depression and increased brittleness of the nail plate.
- Hepato-/splenomegaly (liver/spleen enlargement).
Hemochromatosis is usually associated with the triad of liver disease, diabetes mellitus, and hyperpigmentation.