HLA antigens and schizophrenia: a pool of two studies

Results from two studies on HLA antigens in schizophrenic patients were pooled and analyzed. A statistically significant difference appeared in the frequency for HLA-B27, which was increased in the patient group (n = 164) as compared to the controls (n = 585). The strong correlation between this antigen and some forms of arthropathies and the fact that arthropathies and schizophrenia very seldom occur in the same individual suggest that HLA-B27 could serve as a genetic marker for both diseases. The development of either one or the other may depend upon the interplay between the genetic marker (HLA-B27) and other biological and environmental factors. In addition to the potential value of HLA-B27 as a marker for vulnerability to schizophrenia, the human leucocyte antigens may also serve to differentiate between various subtypes of the illness.