[Antigens of the HLA system in different types of diabetes mellitus]

HLA antigens (A, B, DR) of the tissues of 171 patients with different types of diabetes mellitus were investigated. Controls were 1867 healthy Leningrad residents (control I), not investigated with the GTT, and 38 pregnant women with the unchanged GTT during pregnancy (control II). Some features of the frequency of occurrence of individual antigens and their interlocular (HLA A, B) combinations in type I and type II diabetes mellitus and diabetes of pregnant women were established. The risk of diabetes mellitus, type I, development was shown to be on the increase in the presence of HLA DR4 in the phenotype and considerably on the decrease in the presence of HLA B17. The results point out to the genetic heterogeneity of different types of diabetes mellitus. The authors think it possible to use HLA typing for the diagnosis of type I diabetes mellitus.