title: HLA alleles are associated with postherpetic neuralgia but not with herpes zoster.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In some herpes zoster (HZ) patients, one symptom is problematic; postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), a persistence of pain such as spontaneous pain and stimulus-evoked pain, allodynia or hyperpathia, for more than 6 months after healing of the vesicular eruptions. In our previous study, we reported the association between HLA alleles, HLA-A*33 and B*44, and PHN patients. In this study, we aim to refine the association of these alleles with PHN or HZ using higher-resolution HLA typing technique with an increased sample size.
  
  
  METHODS
  HLA allele frequencies were compared in 70 PHN patients, 80 HZ patients, 52 HZ(-) patients, and 140 Japanese controls using HLA typing kits of SSOP protocols.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The allele frequencies of HLA-A*3303, B*4403, and DRB1*1302 in PHN(+) patients were significantly higher than those in Japanese controls (P=0.00007, P=0.000002, and P=0.0003, respectively). The frequencies of above alleles in PHN(+) patients were also significantly higher than those in PHN(-) patients (P=0.03, P=0.006 and P=0.03, respectively). However, no association was found in comparison of HZ(+) patients and HZ(-). And the frequency of HLA-B*5101 in HZ(-) patients was significantly higher than those in HZ(+) and PHN(+) patients (P=0.003 and P=0.009, respectively) indicating that HLA-B*5101 functions as a protective allele to HZ.
authors.affiliation: Depertment of Molecular Life Science, Tokai University, School of Medicine, Shimokasuya 143, Isehara, Kanagawa, Japan. 5amud009@is.icc.u-tokai.ac.jp
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sumiyama
authors.forename: Eri F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Kikkawa
authors.forename: Yuki F
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Kita
authors.forename: Harumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shinagawa
authors.forename: Tomotaka
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mabuchi
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ozawa
authors.forename: Hidetoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Inoko
mesh_terms: D005787:Gene Frequency; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D006562:Herpes Zoster / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D014645:Herpesvirus 3, Human / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D051474:Neuralgia, Postherpetic / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D006680:HLA Antigens