HLA antigens in epileptic patients with drug-induced immunodeficiency

Thirty-two patients with epilepsy were typed for 26 HLA-A, -B and -C antigens. Sixteen of the patients were treated with phenytoin. They all had serum IgA concentrations below 0.20 g/l. Another 16 patients received carbamazepine. This group had showed a marked decrease of IgA and IgM serum concentrations during their first month of carbamazepine monotherapy. Among those who showed an IgA deficiency during phenytoin treatment, 14 had the antigen HLA-A2. The frequency of HLA-A2 was similar between controls and patients who had reduced immunoglobulin levels after 1 month of carbamazepine treatment.