HLA in systemic lupus erythematosus: influence on severity

Forty-four patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were classified as mild or more severe on the basis of renal biopsy changes and the degree of proteinuria. The HLA phenotype A2 plus B7 was associated with the mild cases, while A1 plus B8 was associated with more severe disease. These findings suggest that immunogenetic factors are important in determining the severity of SLE and that combinations of HLA-A and -B locus antigens may be significant in HLA disease associations.