Genetic hemochromatosis is a rare disease entity among French Basques: a center-based study from the General Hospital of Basque Country

Abstract

A center-based study from the general hospital of Basque country has been performed to evaluate the importance of genetic hemochromatosis among French Basques. A sample of 37 patients from 34 families fulfilling the diagnosis criteria of hemochromatosis was obtained. Only four of them were of Basque origin: two homozygotes for C282Y, one homozygote for H63D, and one heterozygote for C282Y. These results suggest a significant lower prevalence of genetic hemochromatosis in Basques than in people from other French regions (P=0.001). They underline further the biological specificity of this population.