For someone like me who has had to have blood transfusions from anemia—low iron—hemochromatosis seems like a foreign concept. However, for 1 in 300 people, too much iron in the blood can be a big problem. [1] Hemochromatosis is the most common genetic disorder affecting Canadians, and the stats are likely not too far off for Americans as well. [1] While not terribly uncommon, hemochromatosis is not detected in typical blood work—for example, often a blood lab panel will test for hemoglobin, which does not account for all the iron in the body. More specific blood tests for hemochromatosis are easily run, but your doctor may not run them routinely. [1