B. Silva-Ramírez1,2 G. Vargas-Alarcón3 J. Granados2,4 R. Burgos-Vargas2,5
1Dept. of Population Genetics, Centro de Investigación Biomédica del Noreste, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS); 2Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; 3Cellular Biology Section, Dept. of Physiology, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez; 4Dept. of Immunology and Rheumatology, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán; and 5Servicio de Reumatología, Hospital General de México, Mexico City, Mexico.
ABSTRACT
Objective
To describe the association between HLA-B and HLA-DR genes and juvenile onset spondyloarthritides (SpA) in Mexicans.
Methods
The study included 66 consecutive patients with SpA (45 with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and 21 with undifferentiated SpA) and 99 non-related healthy controls. The HLA-A, –B and DR alleles were detected by the polymerase chain reaction with the sequence-specific primers technique. Statistical methods included the Mantel-Haenzel c2 test, Fisher’s exact test, and Woolf method for odds ratio (OR).
Results
The frequency of HLA-B27 was significantly increased in the whole group (pC < 10-3, OR = 53.0, aetiological fraction = 51%), particularly in AS (pC < 10-3, OR = 67.42, aetiological fraction 57%). In contrast, the frequencies of HLA-B44, and HLA-B14 were significantly decreased. Also, a weak negative association HLA-DR5 (p < 0.05) was found.
Conclusion
Apart from an expected significant association between HLA-B27 and juvenile-onset SpA, particularly AS, we found negative associations with HLA-B44, B14, and DR5. There was also a trend for HLA-B15 and DR1 associations with SpA.
Key words
HLA-B27, ankylosing spondylitis, juvenile ankylosing spondylitis, spondyloarthritides, enthesitis related arthritis.
This study was supported by a grant from the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACYT) 42120. Please address correspondence to: Rubén Burgos-Vargas, MD, Rheumatology Service, Hospital General de México, Dr Balmis 148, México DF 06726, Mexico.
E-mail: burgosv@attglobal.net or burgosv@prodigy.net.mx
Clin Exp Rheumatol 2005; 23: 721-723.
© CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL RHEUMATOLOGY 2005.