HLA in Singapore Chinese with rheumatoid arthritis

The HLA-A, B, C, DR and DQ antigens were determined in 50 Singapore Chinese patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). There was a significant increase in the prevalence of HLA-Bw46, DRw53 and DQ3 in patients with RA. The linkage disequilibrium between Bw46 and DRw53 explains this association. This major histocompatibility complex association differs from the HLA-DR4 link in Caucasian populations and suggests that RA is an immunogenetically heterogeneous disease.