title: Response to immunosuppressive therapy and an HLA-DRB1 allele in patients with aplastic anaemia: HLA-DRB1*1501 does not predict response to antithymocyte globulin.
abstract: HLA-DRB1*1501, a subtype of HLA-DR2, has been shown to be closely associated with a good response to cyclosporine (CyA) therapy in patients with aplastic anaemia (AA). To determine whether this DRB1 allele can also predict a response to antithymocyte globulin (ATG) therapy in AA patients, we analysed the results of HLA-DRB1 typing in 59 Japanese patients who received ATG within 2 years after diagnosis of AA and also in 52 patients treated with CyA. All patients were divided into three groups: those with DRB1*1501, those with DRB1*1502, and those without either of these two alleles (DR2-). The response rate to ATG in DRB1*1501+ patients (56%) was not significantly higher than that in DRB1*1502+ patients (47%) and in the other DR2- patients (54%). In contrast, the response rate to CyA therapy in DRB1*1501+ patients (92%) was significantly higher than that in the DRB1*1502+ (41%) and in DR2- patients (57%). Multivariate analysis revealed that possessing DRB1*1501 was an independent factor significantly predictive of a good response to CyA. These results indicate that although identifying the DRB1*1501 allele in AA patients prior to therapy is predictive of a good response to CyA therapy, it does not have a predictive value for ATG therapy.
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Medicine, Kanazawa University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakao
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Takami
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sugimori
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ueda
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shiobara
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsuda
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mizoguchi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000483:Alleles; D000741:Anemia, Aplastic / Q000235:genetics* / Q000628:therapy; D000961:Antilymphocyte Serum / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016572:Cyclosporine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D059811:HLA-DRB1 Chains; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000961:Antilymphocyte Serum; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; D059811:HLA-DRB1 Chains; D016572:Cyclosporine