Association of the H63D polymorphism in the hemochromatosis gene with sporadic ALS.

Iron misregulation promotes oxidative stress and abnormally high iron levels have been found in the spinal cords of patients with ALS. The authors investigated whether HFE gene polymorphisms, linked to hemochromatosis, are associated with ALS using two independent populations of patients with sporadic ALS and controls (totaling 379 patients and 400 controls). They found that the H63D polymorphism is overrepresented in individuals with sporadic ALS (odds ratio 1.85, CI: 1.35 to 2.54).