Stats have been revealed on just which areas of the UK and Ireland are affected by the little-known genetic disease; and it seems some areas more likely to be hit by it than others
Boffins have unearthed which parts of the UK are more likely to suffer from the so-called “Celtic Curse”. And it seems that some areas are more likely than others for people to inherit the potentially dangerous genetic disease.
The Celtic Curse, also known as haemochromatosis, is a condition that attacks the body’s blood system. It gradually causes a build-up of iron which, if left unchecked, can cause serious damage to vital organs including the heart, liver and bones.
Now, for the first time, the exact hotspots of where in the British Isles it is more likely to be born with the condition have been revealed. And, true to its nickname, many areas in more Celtic parts of the UK and Ireland are genetically more predisposed to the disease.
Researchers from the University of Edinburgh gathered data from a total of 400,000 people in the UK BioBank, as well as the Viking Genes case studies to examine the prevalence of the condition. According to the Daily Mail, one genetic code, C282Y, is seen as being responsible for causing the disease.
The data and the analysis found that those who had ancestry from the northwest of Ireland were most likely to develop the condition, with as many as 1 in 54 people likely having the genetic code. On the complete other end of the spectrum was the southwest of England, where only 1 in 218 people were likely to have the gene.
The region with the second highest concentration for the condition was the Outer Hebrides, with 1 in 62 people being affected. Third place went to Northern Ireland, which had 1 in 71 people reportedly carrying the genetic mutation.
Before the pioneering new study, the Celtic Curse was known to disproportionately affect people from Scotland Ireland. However, the exact regions which were more likely to be hit by the genetic disease has never been mapped before.
Despite having a rather pleasant nickname, haemochromatosis can be a potentially dangerous condition. It also does not show symptoms straight away, with some patients suffering for decades before they start to fall ill with the disease.
High iron content in the bloodstream can cause problems for organs such as the heart and liver, as they are unable to break down the iron and absorb it into the body. This is why it is important to try and get diagnosed with the condition as quickly as possible, so that treatments can be found straight away as a way to prevent long-term damage.
Speaking on the results, Professor Jim Wilson — who co-lead the study — said the research could point to how the genetic mutation first came about. “I think the C282Y variant first arose in a Scottish or Irish person, maybe 5,000 years ago,” he explained, “everyone who carries it today is a descendant of that person.”
He added: “The jury is still out whether it brought some sort of advantage, or whether it is more common in those parts of the world because more of the descendants of the original person, in which the mutation arose, are still living there. The risk of haemochromatosis differs sharply across the UK and Ireland and is so high in the Western Isles and Northern Ireland that I think it warrants a genetic screening programme to identify those at risk before organ damage begins.”
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