title: HLA-DR alleles among Pakistani patients of coeliac disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether certain DR alleles might also contribute to the genetic susceptibility among Coeliac disease patients in Pakistan.
  
  
  METHODS
  The case-control study was conducted at the Military Hospital, Rawalpindi, from October 2011 to January 2012, and analysed 25 children diagnosed to have coeliac disease as per the criteria set by the European Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, which included histopathological alterations in duodenal biopsies, clinical response to gluten withdrawal, and presence of anti-endomyseal antibodies. Patients were compared with a group of 150 healthy subjects. Dioxyribonucleic acid was extracted from peripheral blood collected in ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid.K3. Human leukocyte antigen DRB1 typing was carried out on allele level (DRB1*01--DRB1*16) using sequence specific primers. Human leukocyte antigen type was determined by agarose gel electrophoresis and results were recorded. Phenotype frequency of various alleles among the patient group and the control group was calculated by direct counting, and significance of their association was determined by Fisher Exact Test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 11 (44%) female paediatric coeliac patients in age range 1-9 (mean 7.2 +/- 4.8 years) and 14 (56%) male paediatric patients in the age range 6-14 (mean 8.6 +/- 5.1 years) were genotyped for HLA-DRB1 loci. A statistically significant positive association of the disease with HLA-DRB1*03 (n = 23; 92% versus n=31; 21% in controls, p < 0.01) was observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HLA-DRB1*03 is associated with increased risk of developing coeliac disease.
authors.affiliation: Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), Rawalpindi. nida.saleem@myspyre.pk
authors.forename: Nida
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Saleem
authors.affiliation: Military Hospital, Rawalpindi.
authors.forename: Salman
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.affiliation: Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), Rawalpindi.
authors.forename: Tahir Aziz
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.affiliation: Military Hospital, Rawalpindi.
authors.forename: Mehmood
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iqbal
authors.affiliation: Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), Rawalpindi.
authors.forename: Mukarram
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bashir
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004587:Electrophoresis, Agar Gel; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010154:Pakistan; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic
chemical_list: D006684:HLA-DR Antigens