James, what are some possible ways an individual can acquire hemochromatosis?
It is not clear what causes non-hereditary hemochromatosis. But viral infection is the prime suspect.
What is really interesting is that when I first read about hemochromatosis was about 30 years ago. At the time it was considered extremely rare and primarily seen in alcoholics. Now it is considered a common thing and many of the cases I have seen are non-hereditary and not in alcoholics. It would be interesting to know why there has been such a surge in cases in the last 30 years.