title: HLA antigen and affective disorders: a report and critical assessment of histocompatibility studies.
abstract: The distribution of 50 HLA antigens, of the A, B and C loci, was investigated in 38 affectively ill Caucasian patients of Eastern European Jewish ancestry. The frequencies found were compared to those of a control population matched for race as well as geographic and ethnic-religious origins. Results indicate that a negative association exists between affective disorders and Cw3 and also suggests a similar negative association between such disorders and A9. A positive association with Bw16, Bw22 and Cw1 is also indicated; Bw16 was increased in those patients with no family history of psychological illness. A review of the available literature in this area shows a glaring lack of agreement among the studies. Methodological problems exist which are likely to contribute to the variable and conflicting results and might make comparison of data irrelevant. The lack of agreement of data among the studies may also indicate that no HLA disease association exists but rather reflect the existence of a defective gene in the HLA complex but not a part of the HLA system. Additional population and family studies are required before any definitive statements can be made.
mesh_terms: D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D006680:HLA Antigens