Adverse effect of chronic tonsillitis on clinical course of sarcoidosis in relation to HLA distribution

We examined the effect of chronic inflammatory foci in the upper respiratory tract and/or HLA class 2 antigens on the clinical course of sarcoidosis. Sarcoidosis resolved spontaneously in 6 of 27 (22 percent) patients with CTL and in 19 of 29 (66 percent) without CTL (p less than 0.01). The clinical course became favorable after TLT in 7 of 14 cases with CTL. Patients with HLA-DR9 and DRw8 showed the highest ratio of patients who had protracted clinical course; those with HLA-DR2, DR5 and DR6 showed the lowest; and those with HLA-DR4, DRw52 and Drw53 were between these levels. A high responsiveness to SCW antigens was seen more frequently in sarcoidosis patients with protracted clinical course. The high responsiveness to SCW antigens was related to HLA-DR4, DRw8, DR9 and DRw53 in sarcoidosis patients. HLA antigens, especially HLA-DR, modulate the immune response to inhaled antigenic agents. Immune response seemed to affect the clinical course of sarcoidosis.