HLA class II allele frequencies in type 1A diabetes mellitus Slovak patients.
BACKGROUND
Diabetes mellitus type 1A (DM-1A) is an autoimmune disease in which the immune response is directed to pancreatic islet cells. DM-1A occurs in genetically predisposed individuals. Among type 1A diabetes associated genes, those of the HLA region have the greatest effect.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of our study was to obtain a comprehensive survey of the HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1 allele frequencies in Slovak patients suffering from DM-1A.


METHODS
HLA class II genotyping was performed on genomic DNA by the PCR-SSP method according to the 12th Workshop protocol.


RESULTS
Our report gives the first presentation of the distribution of HLA-DRB1 alleles (including complete DRB1*04 subtypes) and that of HLA-DQB1 alleles in the Slovak diabetic patients diagnosed at 0-18 years of age. Susceptibility is significantly associated with the alleles DQB1*0302 (OR = 7.8), DRB1*04 (OR = 4.9), DRB1*0301 (OR = 4.2) and DQB1*02 (OR = 2.2), whereas the alleles DQB*0602 (OR = 0.05), DRB1*11 (OR = 0.2), DRB1*15 (OR = 0.2) and DQB1*0301 (OR = 0.3) were found to be protective.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results, consistent with other studies, show increased frequencies of known positively associated HLA class II alleles in our type 1A diabetes mellitus patients compared to the general (nondiabetic) population. The protective effect of previously reported alleles was confirmed as well. Results of our population-based study serve in clinical practice for the identification of subjects at risk of developing DM-1A among the first-degree relatives (Tab. 2, Ref. 12).
Shawkatova
I
I
Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia. ivana.shawkatova@fmed.uniba.sk
Michalkova
D
D
Barak
L
L
Fazekasova
H
H
Kuba
D
D
Buc
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D005787:Gene Frequency; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006683:HLA-DQ Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D059866:HLA-DQ beta-Chains; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D059811:HLA-DRB1 Chains; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D018154:Slovakia
D006683:HLA-DQ Antigens; D059866:HLA-DQ beta-Chains; C069051:HLA-DQB1 antigen; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; D059811:HLA-DRB1 Chains; C553502:HLA-DRB1*03:01 antigen