Autoimmune hepatitis type 2 and hepatitis C virus infection: study of HLA antigens.
OBJECTIVE
Markers for hepatitis C virus are often detectable in patients suffering chronic hepatitis with liver-kidney microsomal type 1 antibodies. Several authors have suggested that two subsets of those patients can be defined: a) hepatitis C virus negative and b) hepatitis C virus positive. The aim of this work was to further analyze the possible genetic association, HLA class I and II, in these two groups of patients.


METHODS
HLA was analyzed in 49 patients. Class I was studied using a standard lymphocytotoxicity test and in class II a reverse hybridization-based test for DRB1 typing and PCR-SSO for DQB1 typing were used. Sixty healthy Spanish subjects and 39 chronic hepatitis C subjects without anti-LKM1 antibodies were used as control groups for the "a" and "b" subsets, respectively.


RESULTS
No significant association was found with class I specificities in either group. DQB1 typing showed a very significant increase of DQ2 in the "a" group (93.3% vs. 48%; RR = 15; Pc = 0.0025), and DRB1 typing from the "b" group revealed a high association with DR7 (82.3% vs. 43.6%; RR = 6; Pc = 0.0086).


CONCLUSIONS
Our studies revealed a strong association with DQ2 for the "a" group and for the first time an extremely high association with DR7 antigen for the "b" subset. Hence it is possible to establish a different genetic profile in these two patient groups.
Jurado
A
A
Immunology Department, Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Madrid, Spain.
Cárdaba
B
B
Jara
P
P
Cuadrado
P
P
Hierro
L
L
de Andrés
B
B
del Pozo
V
V
Cortegano
M I
MI
Gallardo
S
S
Camarena
C
C
Bárcena
R
R
Castañer
J L
JL
Alvarez
R
R
Lahoz
C
C
Palomino
P
P
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000943:Antigens, Differentiation / Q000032:analysis; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D006683:HLA-DQ Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006505:Hepatitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology*; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
D000943:Antigens, Differentiation; D001323:Autoantibodies; D006680:HLA Antigens; D006683:HLA-DQ Antigens; C053186:HLA-DQ2 antigen; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; C060729:anti-liver kidney microsome antibody