RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Hereditary hemochromatosis is a relatively common genetic disease characterized by increased iron absorption and deposition in major organs of the body. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of C282Y, H63D and S65C mutations in the HFE gene in patients suspected of hereditary hemochromatosis and to compare it with healthy subjects (control group). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The group of patients consisted of 95 males and 45 females (median age 55 years, range 20 to 83 years). The control group was represented by 167 volunteers of Caucasian origin (65 males and 102 females, median age 25 years, range 18 to 62 years). The PCR/RFLP genetic analysis was used to detect mutations in the HFE gene. RESULTS: Allelic frequencies of C282Y, H63D, and S65C in the groups of patients were 18.2 %, 17.5 %, and 1.8 %, respectively. The frequencies of the alleles in the control group were 5.7 % (C282Y), 12.3 % (H63D), and 0.6 % (S65C). CONCLUSIONS: Our results show significant differences in the frequency of C282Y mutation between the patients suspected of hereditary hemochromatosis and the control group (18.2 % vs. 5.7 %). The prevalence of H63D and S65C mutations in both groups was not statistically significant.