HHC is most common in certain European populations (such as those of Irish or Scandinavian descent) and occurs in 0.6% of some unspecified population. Men have a 24-fold increased rate of<unk>  disease compared with women. Stone Age Diet and the environment are thought to have had large influence on the mutation of genes related to<unk> . Starting during the Mesolithic era, communities of people lived in an environment that was fairly sunny, warm and had the dry climates of the Middle East. Most humans who lived at that time were foragers and their diets consisted largely of game, fish and wild plants. Archaeologists studying dental plaque have found evidence of tubers, nuts, plantains, grasses and other foods rich in<unk> . Over many generations, the human body became well-adapted to a high level of<unk>  content in the diet. Neolithic In the Neolithic era, significant changes are thought to have occurred in both the environment and diet. Some communities of foragers migrated north, leading to changes in lifestyle and environment, with a decrease in temperatures and a change in the landscape which the foragers then needed to adapt to. As people began to develop and advance their tools, they learned new ways of producing food, and farming also slowly developed. These changes would have led to serious stress on the body and a decrease in the consumption of<unk> -rich foods. This transition is a key factor in the mutation of genes, especially those that regulated dietary<unk>  absorption.<unk> , which makes up 70% of red blood cell composition, is a critical micronutrient for effective thermoregulation in the body.<unk>  deficiency will lead to a drop in the core temperature. In the chilly and damp environments of Northern Europe, supplementary<unk>  from food was necessary to keep temperatures regulated, however, without sufficient<unk>  intake the human body would have started to store<unk>  at higher rates than normal. In theory, the pressures caused by migrating north would have selected for a gene mutation that promoted greater absorption and storage of<unk> . Viking hypothesis Studies and surveys conducted to determine the frequencies of haemochromatosis help explain how the mutation migrated around the globe. In theory, the disease initially evolved from travelers migrating from the north. Surveys show a particular distribution pattern with large clusters and frequencies of gene mutations along the western European coastline. This led the development of the "Viking Hypothesis". Cluster locations and mapped patterns of this mutation correlate closely to the locations of Viking settlements in Europe established c.700 AD to c.1100 AD. The Vikings originally came from Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Viking ships made their way along the coastline of Europe in search of trade, riches, and land. Genetic studies suggest that the extremely high frequency patterns in some European countries are the result of migrations of Vikings and later Normans, indicating a genetic link between hereditary haemochromatosis and Viking ancestry. Modern times In 1865, Armand Trousseau (a French internist) was one of the first to describe many of the symptoms of a diabetic patient with cirrhosis of the liver and bronzed skin color. The term haemochromatosis was first used by German pathologist Friedrich Daniel von Recklinghausen in 1889 when he described an accumulation of<unk>  in body tissues.
Iron overload
Zinc toxicity
Lead poisoning
Iron poisoning
Fluoride toxicity
Copper toxicity
Metal toxicity
Ochronosis