Idiopathic hemochromatosis: demonstration of homozygous-heterozygous mating by HLA typing of families.

In five families with idiopathic (hereditary) hemochromatosis, clinical and biochemical expression of the disease occurred in offspring of probands, suggesting an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance. However, HLA typing of subjects indicated that a homozygous-heterozygous mating almost certainly had occurred in four of the five families, resulting in homozygous offspring. Thus, in these families inheritance of the hemochromatosis trait was best explained in terms of an autosomal recessive or intermediate mode of inheritance. This study demonstrates the value of HLA typing in identifying homozygous-heterozygous matings in hemochromatosis families.