Association of HLA antigens with diabetes mellitus in an Iraqi population

HLA antigen frequencies in 50 patients with IDDM, 56 patients with NIDDM, and 109 normal Iraqi controls were studied. Three families with one patient suffering from IDDM were also studied. No significant HLA antigens associated with NIDDM were found. Highly significant association of HLA, A1, B8, DR3, and DR4 were found in patients with IDDM as compared to normal individuals. The frequency of HLA-B5 and DR2 were significantly decreased in patients with IDDM. In contrast to previously reported findings in Caucasoids there was no significant association with B15 and a negative association with HLA-B5, not with B7. These results were compared with published findings for Arabs and other ethnic populations.