Zur Haptoglobintypenverteilung im Raum Berlin

[Haptoglobin phenotypes and liver cirrhosis. I (author's transl)]

The distribution of haptoglobin phenotypes (Hp) 1--1, 2--1 and 2--2 in 174 patients suffering from liver cirrhosis was determined and compared with a reference group consisting of 194 healthy subjects. The study revealed a high frequency of the Hp 1--1 phenotype (32%) in the patients as compared with the control group (14%). This difference is statistically highly significant (p less than 0.00025). It was calculated that in individuals of type Hp 1--1, the risk of liver cirrhosis is 4.3-fold higher than in persons with the phenotype Hp 2--2.

Haptoglobin Types in Poland

The frequency of the Hp(1) gene in Polish subjects is 0.36. This frequency is lower than that in Western European populations and higher than that in Asiatic populations. We suggest that the increase in frequency of this gene from East to West has a regular continuous character that may be attributed to a stillunclear genetic mechanism.