Haptoglobin groups and cirrhosis of the liver.

Haptoglobin (HP) groups were determined in Chinese patients suffering from eight different diseases and compared to those of 552 control subjects. Patients with cirrhosis of the liver showed a significant difference from controls in the distribution of HP types (p = 2 x 10(-4)), with increases in the HP*1 allele and HP1-1 phenotype frequencies. The relative risk for the HP1-1 phenotype was 3.3.