Gallstones are a common cause of pancreatitis. Gallstones, produced in the gallbladder, can block the bile duct, stopping pancreatic enzymes from traveling to the small intestine and forcing them back into the pancreas.
Types 1, 2, and 3 hemochromatosis are inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern, which means both copies of the gene in each cell have mutations. Most often, the parents of an individual with an autosomal recessive condition each carry one copy of the mutated gene but do not show signs and symptoms of the condition.Type 4 hemochromatosis is distinguished by its autosomal dominant inheritance pattern.With this type of inheritance, one copy of the altered gene in each cell is sufficient to cause the disorder. In most cases, an affected person has one parent with the condition.ype 1, the most common form of the disorder, and type 4 (also called ferroportin disease) begin in adulthood. Men with type 1 or type 4 hemochromatosis typically develop symptoms between the ages of 40 and 60, and women usually develop symptoms after menopause. Type 2 hemochromatosis is a juvenile-onset disorder.
If untreated, damage to the liver, heart, and pancreas may eventually lead to death. Hemochromatosis is hereditary. In order to have the disease, a patient must have inherited two defective genes, one from each parent. Siblings of an affected individual have a 25 percent chance of getting this disease. Children are less likely to be affected since the other parent must be a carrier of a hemochromatosis gene.