HAPTOGLOBIN POLYMORPHISM IN KOREAN PATIENTS WITH CARDIOVASCULAR-DISEASES

We investigated the relation between hepatoglobin (Hp) polymorphism an d plasma lipid levels in 913 Korean subjects, The distribution of Hp p henotypes did not show any significant differences between the healthy controls and the patients with cardiovascular disease, In the control group, however, the subgroup of greater than or equal to 50-year-olds had a significantly higher Hp1 allele frequency than the subgroup <5 0 years (p<0.005), This was not seen in the patient group, Hp phenotyp es were associated with levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the hypertensive group, The results indicate that Hp polymorphism, at least in the Korean population, does not predispose to the occurre nce of cardiovascular diseases.