Human leucocyte class I and II antigens in coeliac disease: a study in an Austrian paediatric population

Regional variations in the human leucocyte antigen (HLA) distribution patterns of coeliac disease (CD) have been reported. This study focuses on phenotype frequencies of a cohort of Austrian paediatric CD patients in comparison with those recorded in the literature. HLA class I and II typing was performed in 136 CD patients and 667 healthy controls from the general population of the same geographical area. The HLA phenotypes of our controls agreed with those published for Caucasians. In our patients the relative risks (RR) were 6.43 for DR3 and 2.52 for DR7, the aetiologic fractions being 0.58 respectively 0.24. The highest RR (7.78) was found for DR3/DR7 heterozygotes. The RR for DR5 was increased in heterozygosities, either with DR3 (3.34) or DR7 (5.53), yet not for DR5 alone. Of our patients, 10% were lacking both DR3 and DR7 as well as B8, 82% of them were positive for DQw3. In these DR3 and DR7 negative patients, DR4 and DR5 were significantly more frequent than in the others. DR5 was also significantly more common in these patients compared to controls lacking the same antigens, whereas this did not hold true for DR4. Prospective studies are required to determine any link between these HLA heterogeneities and long-term progression of the disease.