HLA-A, B, C antigens in pulmonary sarcoidosis in Polish population

The aim of this study was to analyze association between HLA class I antigens and sarcoidosis in Poland. HLA-A, B, C antigens in a group of 100 patients suffering from sarcoidosis and in a group of 100 healthy blood donors were determined. Histocompatibility typing was performed by the NIH method using commercially available sera. For statistical analysis chi2 test was used after Yates' correction. The relative risk was calculated by Woolf's method. We found that HLA-B8 and -Cw7 prevalence was significantly higher in patients with sarcoidosis than in healthy controls. HLA-B35, -B40, -Cw2 and -Cw4 antigen expression was significantly lower in pulmonary sarcoidosis than in the tested group of healthy individuals. The highest relative risk of sarcoidosis was connected with HLA-B8 and -Cw7. The results obtained suggest that, in the population suffering from pulmonary sarcoidosis in nothern Poland, as compared with the control group of healthy persons, antigens HLA-B8 and -Cw7 are significantly more frequent. It can be assumed that, the presence of these antigens may be connected with a greater risk of pulmonary sarcoidosis. In the group of patients, as compared with the control population, the occurrence of antigens HLA-B35, -B40, -Cw2 and -Cw4 is significantly more rare.