Iron stores in multi-transfused thalassaemic patients seem not to be influenced by the HLA system

The HLA-A and -B antigens of 99 Greek patients with transfusion dependent h omozygous beta thalassaemia were determined. The HLA antigen distribution i n thalassaemic patients with a severe transfusion siderosis and in patients without signs of siderosis were compared to that of 400 healthy unrelated controls from the same population. There is an increase of HLA-B14 antigen in both groups of thalassaemics as compared with the controls. No significa nt difference exists in the distribution of all the other HLA antigens betw een the two sub-groups of thalassaemics or with the controls.