[The HLA-DR phenotype in Croatian children with gluten enteropathy]. / Fenotip HLA-DR u hrvatske djece s glutenskom enteropatijom.

Several studies of HLA and gluten enteropathy (GE) in European countries have found an association between this disease and certain DR phenotypes. However, no studies of DR phenotypes have been published in GE coming from Croatia. Therefore, we have studied HLA-A, B and DR specificities in 94 unrelated children with GE and in a group of healthy controls. In GE there was significant increase in the frequencies of A1 (61.70% v 24.50%; p < 0.0001) and B8 antigen (70.21% v 20.51%; p < 0.0001) compared with controls. The most frequent DR antigen was HLA-DR3 (87.23% v 18.82% in controls) with the relative risk of 29.65. The distribution of DR phenotypes in GE showed that the most frequent one was DR3/other DR (54.26%) and in decreasing order DR3/DR7 (17.02%), DR3/X (15.96%) and DR5/DR7 (8.51%). These phenotypes account for 95.75% of patients studied. A further 3.19% have DR4/DR5 phenotype. However, due to the frequency of certain antigen in controls, only phenotypes DR3/DR7 (relative risk: 28.92), DR3/X (relative risk: 13.29) and DR3/ other DR (relative risk: 10.04) were significantly associated with GE. The present study emphasizes the importance of studying the HLA-DR phenotypes in patients with GE.

[Sociodemographic and epidemiologic characteristics of hospitalized alcoholics in Vojvodina]. / Sociodemografske i epidemioloske karakteristike hospitalizovanih alkoholicara u Vojvodini.

Using the Register of hospitalized alcoholics in Vojvodina we analyzed data on sociodemographic and epidemiologic characteristics of the alcoholic disease. This retrospective study, using longitudinal and anamnestic data during a three-year period (1991-1993) deals with all patients treated for Alcohol Dependency Syndrome (according to the International classification of diseases, IX revision) treated at neuropsychiatric institutions in Vojvodina and living on this territory. The sample consisted of 4783 examinees. The gathered results indicate that there is a decrease in number of patients treated for alcoholic disease, that is in incidence, prevalence and risk of morbidity in regard to the population of the examined territory. As this decrease is associated with a decreased number of registered psychiatric, neurologic, and somatic complications of the alcoholic disease, the authors may conclude that the intensity of actual social pathology and social disorders, which are characteristic for the above mentioned period resulting in the decrease of production and consumption of alcohol, decreases alcoholism and its complications.