Genetic test “screening campaign” may be causing unnecessary alarm, experts warn

The UK National Screening Committee does not recommend screening for haemochromatosis, an inherited condition that causes iron build-up and can damage the liver, joints, pancreas, and heart in adults. It says that although a faulty HFE gene is known to cause iron build-up, “this does not happen to every person with the faulty gene” and warned that screening would identify people who may never experience symptoms. There was “no evidence” to suggest that a screening programme was “the best way of helping people with the condition,” it concluded after a review in 2021.1But the charity Haemochromatosis UK has been carrying out what it terms “screening programmes” in Northern Ireland since 2021 to see if people have gene mutations associated with the condition, The BMJ has learnt. Haemochromatosis is known to be particularly common in Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.2The genetic test used by the charity looks to find people who have…
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