Adverse reactions to practolol: some observations on the possible relevence to immune mechanisms

HLA antigen frequencies were determined in patients who had suffered adverse reaction to the beta-adrenergic blocking agent, practolol. No statistically significant differences were observed between these patients and control groups. The latter were selected to include two separate groups, normal random healthy population controls, and controls who had taken practolol with no apparent adverse effects. Patients suffering from the very severe form of reaction, sclerosing peritonitis, were analysed separately from those with other lesion e.g. ocular symptoms, but did not show any significant differences. Altered HLA antigen frequencies were observed for those control patients whose primary diagnosis was hypertension but this was considered to be due to selection bias.