Coeliac disease and HLA: a family study

In a family study of coeliac disease, HLA types in fifty-three patients and their relatives were examined. There are no differences in HLA frequencies between child and adult patients. Comparison with a random series of normal controls shows increased frequencies in patients of HLA-A1 and B8, while the family material shows that there is also an excess of haplotype 1-8. The excess of homozygotes is thought not to be a factor in the aetiology. Intrafamilial analysis shows that only B8 is significantly associated with the disorder. It is argued that the HLA association does not indicate a 'coeliac gene' but that the B8 allele is a major gene in a polygenic system affecting the disorder.