title: Association of HLA alleles with autoimmune thyroid disease in Korean children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Data regarding genetics of Hashimoto's disease (HD) and Graves' disease (GD) in Korean children are lacking.
  
  
  METHODS
  73 patients with autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD; HD 32, GD 41) were recruited. We analyzed human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I and HLA-DRB1 by PCR-SSP, and compared them with those of 159 controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In AITD, the allele frequencies of HLA-A*02, -B*46, -Cw*01 and -DRB1*08 were higher and those of HLA-A*30, -B*07, -Cw*07 and -DRB1*01 were lower than in controls. In HD, those of HLA-B*46 and -Cw*01 were higher and those of HLA-DRB1*01 and -Cw*07 were lower than in controls. In GD, those of HLA-A*02, -B*46, -Cw*01 and -DRB1*08 were higher and those of HLA-DRB1*07 and -Cw*07 were lower than in controls. Between HD and GD, there were no significant differences in allele frequencies. The risk of AITD in the presence of both HLA-B*46 and -Cw*01 is higher than in the presence of either allele alone.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The susceptible and protectable alleles in HD are similar to those in GD. Coexistence of HLA-B*46 and -Cw*01 may be a genetic gene marker for early-onset AITD in Koreans.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Won Kyoung
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Min Ho
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Eun-Jeong
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Hee-Baeg
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Tai-Gyu
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Byung-Kyu
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Suh
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000483:Alleles; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics*; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000235:genetics; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D050031:Hashimoto Disease / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013967:Thyroiditis, Autoimmune / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D006680:HLA Antigens