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HLA and obesity.
Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & Pharmacotherapie
|January 1, 1984
Summary
This study investigated the link between human leukocyte antigen (HLA) and childhood obesity in German children. No significant association was found, and close linkage was ruled out for dominant inheritance models.
Area of Science:
- Genetics
- Immunology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Obesity is a growing public health concern in children.
- The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system plays a crucial role in immune response.
- Genetic factors are known to contribute to obesity development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate a potential association between HLA and obesity in a cohort of obese children.
- To perform linkage analysis within families to explore genetic inheritance patterns of obesity related to HLA.
Main Methods:
- Studied 42 unrelated obese children and 11 families (26 children) from Hessen, Germany.
- Analyzed HLA ABC antigen frequencies and compared them to controls (n=220).
- Conducted linkage analysis assuming dominant, recessive, and intermediary genetic models for obesity.
Main Results:
- No significant deviation in HLA ABC antigen frequencies was observed between obese children and controls.
- Close linkage (less than 10 cM) between HLA and a hypothetical obesity gene was ruled out under a dominant inheritance model.
- Recessive inheritance could not be excluded due to unknown penetrance, and simple gene models were deemed improbable. Negative lod scores did not reach elimination levels for intermediary models.
Conclusions:
- The study found no significant association between HLA and obesity in the studied cohort.
- Close genetic linkage between HLA and obesity is unlikely, particularly for dominant inheritance patterns.
- Further research is needed to explore complex genetic models and other factors contributing to childhood obesity.