HLA antigens and immunoregulatory T cells in ulcerative colitis associated with hepatobiliary disease

Serologic HLA typing was carried out in 20 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) combined with hepatobiliary disease, in 34 UC patients without hepatobiliary disease, and in control subjects. Association with HLA-B8 and -DR3 was found in both groups of patients. HLA-B8 was found in 80% of patients with combined disease (p less than 0.0005 vs. controls; relative risk (RR), 12.0), whereas 32% of the patients with UC without hepatobiliary disease were HLA-B8-positive (not significant vs. controls). Concomitantly, HLA-DR3 was found in 70% of patients with combined UC and hepatobiliary disease (p less than 0.0005 vs. controls; RR 9.95) and in 35% of UC patients without hepatobiliary disease (p less than 0.05 vs. controls; RR, 2.33). HLA-B8 was found more frequently in UC patients with than without hepatobiliary disease (p less than 0.001; RR, 8.36), as was the case with HLA-DR3 (p less than 0.025; RR, 4.28). No indications of defects in immunoregulatory lymphocytes (T gamma and T mu cells) which could explain hyperactivity in the immune system were observed in the patients with combined UC and hepatobiliary disease. The present study gives support to the theory that UC and, particularly, UC combined with hepatobiliary lesion may be autoimmune diseases with a genetic predisposition.