HLA system in schistosomal and non-schistosomal nephrotic syndrome

ABSTRACT

The human leucocyte antign [HLA] phenotypes [HLA, A-A, -B and -C antigens] were typed in 62 Upper Egyptian nephrotic patients and the results were compared with 400 ethnically similar normal controls. Patients were classified into 2 clinicopathological groups. Group I of 24 schistosoma hematobium associated nephrotics and group II of 38 non schistosomal nephrotic patients. Schistosoma-associated nephrotic patients showed significant association with HLA-A9, -B15 and CW3, while non schistosomal nephrotic patients showed significant association with HLA-A9, -B5, -B27 and CW3 in comparison with the control group. Nephrotic patients showed significant association with the haplotypes A9 CW3, B5 CW3 and B27 CW3 when compared to the control group. Also we found a significant linkage disequilibrium between HLA-CW3 and - HLA-A9, B5 and B-27 in the control group. We suggest that HLA-CW3 is the genuine antigen associated with nephrotic syndrome in Upper Egypt, and the associated increase in HLA-A9, -B5 and -B27 was due to their linkage disequilibrium with HLA-CW3