Frequency of HLA-DRB1 alleles in rheumatoid arthritis patients in Zahedan, southeast Iran

ABSTRACT

Analysis of the role of different alleles of human leukocyte antigen [HLA] in rheumatoid arthritis [RA] patients is necessary in many populations and geographical areas. The aim of the present study was to investigate the frequency of HLA-DRB1 alleles in RA patients, comparing with that in control group in southeast Iran. Case-control study of rheumatoid arthritis patients referred to rheumatology clinic at university hospital. The frequency of HLA-DRB1 alleles was determined in 79 RA patients and 93 healthy subjects in Zahedan, southeast Iran. HLA-DRB1 allele types were identified by polymerase chain reaction with sequence-specific primer [PCR-SSP]. The HLA-DRB1*10 allele showed a significantly higher frequency in patients with RA [OR=2.698, 95% CI=1.087-6.699, P=.045], while the frequency of DRB1*03 allele in these subjects was significantly lower than that in the control group [OR=0.447, 95% CI=0.2285-0.8729, P=.021]. The frequencies of DRB1*01, DRB1*04, DRB1*07, DRB1*09, DRB1*11, DRB1*13, DRB1*14, DRB1*15, DRB1*16 were not significantly different between RA subjects and the control group. The data suggest that the DRB1*10 allele is a risk factor and DRB1*03 is protective for RA in this population