[Serologic and molecular HLA typing in patients from Andalucia with Behçet's disease. Genetic and clinical correlations].
BACKGROUND
HLA typing was performed in 67 patients with Behçet's disease from Andalucia, Spain to: 1) analyze the association of class I and II molecules with Behçet's disease in Spain; 2) study the clinical correlations and 3) evaluate its diagnostic and/or prognostic role.


METHODS
1) Serologic typing (microlymphocytotoxicity): class I molecules in 67 patients and class II molecules in 47 patients (controls: 223 healthy volunteers). 2) Oligotyping (PCR-SSO): class II molecules (DQB1 and generic DRB1) in 47 patients and 189 controls. 3) STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: chi square test (dicotomic variables) and Student t test (continuous variables), and calculation of the relative risk by the Wolff and Haldane formulas.


RESULTS
The HLA B51 antigen was the most frequently observed in the whole series (p = 0.003) in males with ocular disease (p = 0.0001) and in patients with cutaneous (p = 0.001) and digestive involvement (p = 0.05). The HLA B51-positive males were younger at disease onset (p = 0.01) with neurologic involvement being infrequent (p = 0.03). The HLA B51 antigen was associated with neurologic (p = 0.06) and articular involvement (p = 0.05). The DQB1*0303 was associated with uveitis of bad evolution (p = 0.01). The DR11 and DQB1*0301 were more frequent in HLA B51-positive patients and the DQ5 was negatively associated with Behçet's disease, particularly in the HLA B51-positive patients.


CONCLUSIONS
The study of the HLA antigens provides useful information for the diagnosis of Behçet's disease, aids in differentiating the different clinical forms and has prognostic significance.
Castillo Palma
M J
MJ
Unidad de Colagenosis (Servicio de Medicina Interna), Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío, Sevilla.
Sánchez Román
J
J
Ocaña Medina
C
C
González Escribano
M F
MF
Núñez Roldán
A
A
López-Checa
F
F
D000328:Adult; D001528:Behcet Syndrome / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005805:Genes, MHC Class I; D005802:Genes, MHC Class II; D006650:Histocompatibility Testing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013030:Spain
Tipificación HLA serológica y molecular en pacientes andaluces con enfermedad de Behçet. Correlaciones geneticoclínicas.