ABSTRACT
Rheumatoid arthritis [RA] is a multifactorial disease involving environmental and genetic components. A complex group of human leucocyte antigen [HLA] class II alleles are associated with an increased risk of developing RA, but their exact role in its pathogenesis remains unclear. Many studies examined the hypothesis that shared epitope [SE]-containing HLADRBl alleles can account for these associations. The presence of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody [anti-CCP] has been associated with RA development. We aimed to assess presence of HLADRBl in RA patients and its association with anti CCP and disease activity. Forty rheumatoid arthritis patients were assessed clinically with disease activity score [DAS]. Serum rheumatoid factor [RF] and anti CCP antibodies level were assessed. HLA-DRBl typing was done with sequence specific oligonucleotide probe [SSOP] technique and was compared with normal Egyptian population. HLA-DRBl 04 were the most frequent allele followed by HLADRBl 10 in RA patients [30.2%, 7.9% respectively]. HLA-DRBl 03 and HLA-DR Bl 02 were found to be protective alleles as they are less frequent in the patients than the controls. HLA-DRBl 04 showed a significant positive association with both positive anti-CCP antibodies and RF level. Concerning the disease activity, HLA-DRBJ 04, HLA-DRBl 08 and HLA-DRBl 01 showed a significant association with higher disease activity. HLA-DRBl 04 gene may be not only an indicator for the development of rheumatoid arthritis but also associated with positive anti-CCP antibody production and higher disease activity