HLA-B8 and dermatitis herpetiformis in patients with IgA deposits in skin

The association between antigens of the HLA system and dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) using in vivo-bound IgA as an added criteria for diagnosis is reexamined. Twenty-eight of 33 (85%) immunologically proven patients with DH were HLA-B8 positive, whereas only 17 of 92 (18%) controls were HLA-B8 positive.