Role of C282Y mutation in haemochromatosis gene in development of type 2 diabetes in healthy men: prospective cohort study

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a common complication of iron overload diseases such as hereditary haemochromatosis.1 A gene mutation (HFE C282Y) has recently been identified that strongly predisposes to haemochromatosis when present in homozygous form.2 Because of the notable prevalence of this gene mutation (10.9% in the United Kingdom),3 any disorder related to it has public health importance. We tested the hypothesis that a carrier status for the C282Y mutation predicts the development of type 2 diabetes. We conducted a population based, prospective, four year follow up study of men aged 54 or 60 in the Kuopio ischaemic heart disease risk factor study, a population study in eastern Finland.4 Of 633 eligible men, 555 (88%) participated in the four year follow up. Of these, 508 were not diabetic (fasting blood …