Association of goitrous autoimmune thyroiditis with HLA-DR3 in eastern Hungary

An association of HLA-DR5 and goitrous autoimmune thyroiditis has been reported elsewhere (Farid et al., 1981; Weissel et al., 1980). Recently, the disease was found to be associated with HLA-DR4 in Newfoundlanders (Farid & Thompson, 1986). In order to find out whether different HLA associations with the disease may be found in different ethnic groups, we have now typed 68 patients with autoimmune goitrous thyroiditis from Eastern Hungary for HLA-A, -B, -C, and -DR antigens; 66 of these patients were also typed for IgG heavy-chain markers (Gm). A significant increase in DR3 (OR = 3.30) and a non-significant increase in DR4 (OR = 1.67) were found in the patients when compared with controls. The Gm3 allele, g, interacted with DR3 to enhance the risk for goitrous autoimmune thyroiditis. Hashimoto's disease may show different associations in different ethnic groups, and indeed within the same ethnic group, when newly diagnosed patients are typed several years apart.