DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am a generally healthy 55-year-old man. Five years ago, I began to have some erectile dysfunction. Then two years ago, I had occasional hot flashes. I saw an allergist, who discovered that my ferritin (iron) level was out of the ballpark. It turns out hemochromatosis runs in my family. I have been having regular phlebotomies, and now my ferritin level is normal. My erectile dysfunction remains the same. Is there a chance for recovery? I wonder if excess iron deposits in my pituitary gland affected my sexual response. — D.C.

ANSWER: Hemochromatosis is an illness that few recognize, yet it is one of the most common inherited illnesses humans have. In people who do not have the gene for this illness, their digestive tracts allow only a certain amount of iron to get into the body. In those people born with two genes for hemochromatosis — one from the mother and one from the father — their digestive tract allows far too much iron to be absorbed. The iron deposits in the liver, pancreas, skin, pituitary gland, joints and heart. A person with the hemochromatosis genes can develop liver cirrhosis, diabetes (because insulin production in the pancreas fails), arthritis and heart failure, and can exhibit a gray color to the skin. Signs don’t appear until midlife. By then, a great deal of damage might have occurred.

Treatment is the periodic removal of blood — phlebotomy.

You’re on the right track in reference to pituitary involvement and erectile dysfunction. Hormones from that gland stimulate and keep the testes healthy. Whether or not you will see a recovery from erectile dysfunction, only time will tell. If your testosterone is low, hormone replacement can be considered. If that’s not feasible, then an implantable prosthesis could solve the problem.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am a senior citizen with a chronic case of blepharitis, which attacks my eyelids with such an itching and burning sensation that it takes the joy out of life.

Sometimes I rub my lids and they become raw. I was given a prescription for a small tube containing a cortisone drug, FML, to quiet the irritation. I would like to know what brings on the burning sensation. Does it flare at certain times of the year? Would a diet help? Does wearing eye makeup aggravate this? Is there another medicine that can substitute for my cortisone drug without putting me in receivership? — L.F.

ANSWER: Blepharitis is inflammation and irritation of the eyelids. The burning sensation is a sign of irritation, like a thorn stuck in the thumb. Blepharitis comes and goes, but it is a chronic condition. I am not aware of any seasonal fluctuations. Diet will not have an influence on it. Makeup? I don’t want to encourage you to use anything that could add further irritation to your lids.

Two kinds of blepharitis exist. One involves the eyelid’s margin, and staph germs might have a role in it. You can treat this with warm compresses. Use a washcloth saturated with warm water, and apply the cloth to your closed eyes for five to 10 minutes. Reheat the cloth when it cools. Then, using a cotton-tipped applicator, gently scrub the lids with a solution made by mixing equal parts baby shampoo and water. In some cases, antibiotic ointments are needed.

The other kind of blepharitis involves the meibomian glands, located on the inner aspect of the lids, just a tiny distance away from the lid edge. These glands produce oil that mixes with tears to keep the lids and eyes moistened. Your cortisone ointment ought to take care of this. It’s short-term care. It won’t bankrupt you.

You can have both kinds simultaneously.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Will you tell me what bulbar palsy is? Is it related to ALS? — E.C.

ANSWER: It’s weakness brought on by malfunction of nerves that serve the facial muscles, jaw muscles, tongue, the swallowing muscles and the speech muscles. Great difficulty in speaking and swallowing result. Bulbar palsy can be seen in illnesses like Guillain-Barre disease, myasthenia gravis, diphtheria, polio and stroke. Many people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease) develop bulbar palsy. The two are not the same, however.

Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from www.rbmamall.com.