[HLA antigens in lung diseases]

Altogether 337 patients with tuberculosis, 63 patients with sarcoidosis, 41 with exogenous allergic alveolitis, and 36 with chronic bronchitis were examined. Four hundred and 30 healthy persons comprised the control group. It was established that HLA genes play an important part as factors which control the level of susceptibility to some pulmonary diseases (tuberculosis, sarcoidosis, exogenous allergic alveolitis). Hypersusceptibility to different pulmonary diseases is associated with different HLA genes, namely with HLA-B14 in tuberculosis, HLA-B7 in sarcoidosis, and with HLA-B8 in exogenous allergic alveolitis. The susceptibility to pulmonary diseases may be under polygenic control; in particular during tuberculosis, both HLA-B14 gene and HLA-B15 gene play a role in the resistance control. The development of a disseminated chronic process coupled with disintegration may be associated with the latter gene, which may be due to a lower resistance. It stands to reason that in addition to HLA genes, other genetic systems are likely to determine the character of susceptibility to tuberculosis.