Evaluation of haptoglobin genotypes in patients with metabolic syndrome: A preliminary report

BACKGROUND: Haptoglobin (Hp) polymorphisms have been suggested to be associated with many pathological conditions, including cardiovascular diseases, infectious diseases, and type 2 diabetes. For the first time, we aimed to investigate the possible association between Hp genotypes and metabolic syndrome (MES) in a sample of Iranian subjects. METHODS: In this study, 291 patients with MES according to National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III criteria, and 284 healthy individuals have been studied. We determined Hp genotype by polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: The frequency of three genotype (Hp1-1, Hp2-1, and Hp2-2) in healthy individuals and patients were 7.74, 39.7, 52.46, and 7.9, 31.61, 60.48 percent, respectively. There was no significant difference between the groups regarding Hp genotypes. The Hp2 allele was the predominant allele in MES (76.29%) and normal subjects (72.54%). CONCLUSION: Hp polymorphisms are not risk factor for predisposition to MES in a sample of the Iranian population. Further studies with different ethnicities are required to validate our findings.