title: Possible association of juvenile myoclonic epilepsy with HLA-DRw6.
abstract: Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) is a clearly defined subform of idiopathic generalized epilepsy with a high aggregation of epilepsy in family members. With the HLA-system used as a genetic marker, a linkage between JME and the HLA region was demonstrated. Linkage with the HLA region suggests that JME may be associated with an HLA-antigen. An association could indicate that the gene lies in the HLA region and is in linkage disequilibrium with one of the HLA-antigens. Eighty-eight unrelated patients with JME were typed for the HLA-A and HLA-B locus, 77 were typed for the HLA-C locus, and 76 were typed for the DR locus. The antigen frequency was compared with those of healthy blood donors. The highest difference was noted in the frequency of DRw6 (39.5% in patients vs. 22.1% in controls). This weak association is open to question because DRw6 is known to split into DRw13 and DRw14.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, New York 10029.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Durner
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Janz
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zingsem
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Greenberg
mesh_terms: D004831:Epilepsies, Myoclonic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*; D008040:Genetic Linkage; D005819:Genetic Markers; D015808:HLA-DR6 Antigen / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers; D015808:HLA-DR6 Antigen