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Frequencies of the haemochromatosis gene (HFE) variants C282Y, H63D and S65C in 6,020 ethnic Danish men

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Abstract

The objective was to assess the frequencies of haemochromatosis (HFE) gene mutations or variants C282Y, H63D and S65C in ethnic Danes. This is a prospective epidemiologic population study. A cohort of 6,020 Danish men aged 30–50 years was screened for HFE C282Y (c845G→A), H63D (c187C→G) and S65C (c193A→T) gene variants, assessed on saliva or blood samples by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. The C282Y gene variant allele was present in 5.6%, H63D in 12.8% and S65C in 1.8% of the chromosomes. In the entire series, we observed 1.4% H63D/C282Y, 0.1% S65C/C282Y and 0.4% H63D/S65C compound heterozygotes. The C282Y allele frequency in Denmark is of similar order as reported in other Scandinavian countries: Iceland 5.1%, Faeroe Islands 6.6%, Norway 6.8% and Sweden 5.8%. Also, the H63D frequency in Denmark is close to the frequencies in other Scandinavian countries: Iceland 10.9%, Faeroe Islands 15.2%, Norway 11.4% and Sweden 12.1%.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Næstved Hospital, Ringstedgade 61, 4700, Næstved, Denmark

    Palle Pedersen, Gitte Vedel Melsen & Nils Milman

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  1. Palle Pedersen
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  2. Gitte Vedel Melsen
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  3. Nils Milman
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Correspondence to Palle Pedersen.

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Pedersen, P., Melsen, G.V. & Milman, N. Frequencies of the haemochromatosis gene (HFE) variants C282Y, H63D and S65C in 6,020 ethnic Danish men. Ann Hematol 87, 735–740 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00277-008-0506-8

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