Immunogenetics of uveitis in leprosy

To identify any possible determinants in the development of uveitis in leprosy patients.

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I and II antigen, and HLA class II genotypings were analyzed among Japanese leprosy patients. Ninety-three unrelated Japanese leprosy patients (46 patients with a history of uveitis and 47 patients without uveitis) and 114 healthy control subjects were investigated.

The occurrence of HLA-DR2 was significantly higher in patients with uveitis (78.3%) than in those without uveitis (57.4%; odds ratio = 2.7, P<.05) and in the controls (33.3%; odds ratio = 7.2, P<.0000005, Pc<.00005). The occurrence of HLA-DR4 was significantly lower in patients with uveitis (15.2%) than in those without it (38.3%; odds ratio = 0.29, P<.05) and in the controls (46.5%; odds ratio = 0.21, P<.0005, Pc<.05). Furthermore, the frequencies of DR2-positive and DR4-negative genotypes were significantly higher in patients with uveitis (69.6%) than in those without it (38.3%; odds ratio = 3.7, P<.005) and in the controls (21.9%; odds ratio = 8.1, P<.00000005). At the genomic level, the occurrence of HLA-DQB1*0302 was significantly lower in the patients with uveitis (8.7%) than in those without it (25.5%; odds ratio = 0.28, P<.05). The distribution of HLA-DRB1 and DQA1 alleles was not significantly different between the patients with and those without uveitis. However, the frequencies of DRB1*1501-positive, as well as DRB1*0405- and DQB1*0302-negative genotypes were significantly higher in the patients with uveitis (47.8%) than in those without it (25.5%; odds ratio = 2.7, P<.05) and in the controls (8.8%; odds ratio = 9.5, P<.00000005).

Our results suggest that HLA Class II genes confer susceptibility to or protection from leprous uveitis.