Prevalence of UGT1A1 gene polymorphism in patients with hemolytic anemia in southern Brazil.

The aim of the work was to determine the variation of UGT1A1 genotypes in patients with hemolytic anemia in the southern Brazil. Three hundred twenty-three patients with hemolytic anemia were genotyped for UGT1A1 along with 232 controls. Allelic and genotypic distribution did not differ among studied groups. The TA7/TA7 genotype presented a frequency that ranged from 3.2% to 18.0% (nonsignificant). Alleles TA5 and TA8 were also found in the sample, even though southern Brazil is a major Caucasoid region. Genotype prevalence was very similar to those of African origins, reflecting the diversity of ethnic origins and the high degree of admixture in southern Brazil. Further studies should be conducted to correlate the modulating role of UGT1A1 polymorphism with the clinical conditions of each patient with hemolytic anemia.