Antituberculosis drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome and its association with human leukocyte antigen

Antituberculosis drug (ATD)-induced hypersensitivity syndrome (HSS) is a serious adverse reaction to ATDs, but much remains to be determined regarding its characteristics and genetic risk factors. In this study, we have collected cases of ATD-induced HSS and their clinical features, and investigated the associations of ATD-induced HSS with human leukocyte antigen (HLA). Subjects with ATD-induced HSS and ATD-tolerant controls were recruited through analysis of a multicenter adverse drug reaction registry in Korea. HLA allele frequencies were compared between subjects with ATD-induced HSS (n = 14) and two control groups: ATD-tolerant controls (n = 166) and the general population (n = 485). The number of enrolled subjects with ATD-induced HSS (n = 14) was comparable to those of patients with HSS induced by other common drugs such as allopurinol during the recruitment period. The frequency of Cw*0401 was much higher in the cases (50.0%) compared with ATD-tolerant controls (12.7%, Pc = 0.0204, OR = 6.90) and the general population (12.8%, Pc = 0.0132, OR = 6.82). Our results suggest that ATD is an important causative agent inducing HSS with distinct clinical features. The strong association of Cw*0401 with the risk for ATD-induced HSS suggests immunological involvement in the development of this syndrome.