Photograph: iStockPeople from the northwest of Ireland have the highest risk in the British Isles of developing a genetic disease that causes a dangerous build-up of iron in the body, a new study suggests. The disorder is recognised as being most common in people from Scotland and Ireland, and the study from the University of Edinburgh is the first time the genetic risk has been mapped across the UK and Ireland. The condition is caused by small changes in DNA, known as genetic variants, which can be passed down through families. The most important risk factor in the UK and Ireland is a genetic variant called C282Y. They found that people with ancestry from the northwest of Ireland have the highest risk of developing haemochromatosis, with one in 54 people estimated to carry the variant.

Source: The Irish Times February 04, 2026 01:51 UTC