HFE gene mutation and transferrin saturation in very low birthweight infants

Aim-To determine if there is an association between high transferrin satura tion and the C282Y HFE gene mutation in very low birthweight (VLBW) infants . Methods-One hundred and forty three VLBW infants receiving recombinant eryt hropoietin and 3 to 9 mg/kg/day of enteral iron were studied. Genomic DNA w as extracted from filter paper cards. The C282Y mutation was determined by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Results-Six infants were heterozygous for the mutation; none was homozygous . Ten infants had a transferrin saturation above 80% at least once. No infa nt was positive for both transferrin saturation above 80% and the mutation. Conclusions-The data strongly suggest that there is no association between high transferrin saturation and the HFE gene mutation in VLBW infants durin g the first weeks of life.