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C282Y mutation in the HLA-H gene is not a risk factor for patients with myocardial infarction
J M Annichino-Bizzacchi1, S T Saad, V R Arruda
1Hemocentro da Unicamp, FCM Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil. joyce@obelix.unicamp.br
Background:
Iron is suspected to play a role in the development of atherosclerosis and in the progression of the disease, and consequently in myocardial infarction. Authors of a recent study identified a mutation in HLA-H gene, C282Y, that is an excellent marker for hemochromatosis, which is the most common cause of iron overload. There is a high prevalence of carriers of heterozygous hemochromatosis, most of whom are asymptomatic even with abnormalities of iron metabolism.
Objective:
To study C282Y mutation in the HLA-H gene of 173 survivors of myocardial infarction matched with 172 controls by age, race, and sex, and 119 patients upon diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction.
Methods:
Identification of the mutation was performed by PCR amplification of the DNA fragment followed by Rsal digestion.
Results:
The prevalence of heterozygotes for the mutated allele both among patients and among controls was 1.74%. None of the 119 patients studied upon diagnosis was a carrier of the mutation.
Conclusion:
Our data suggested that the most common cause of iron overload is not associated with myocardial infarction.