[HLA-markers and diabetic retinopathy in the Senegalese population]

Patients with IDDM often develop severe forms of retinopathy, supposed to be associated to risk factors such as hypertension, poor glycemic control and nephropathy. A controversial intervention of a genetic marker was evoked so as some diabetic patients have retinopathy in the absence of known risk factors. HLA-DR and DQ markers were compared in two groups of patients with IDDM respectively constituted of patients with and without severe retinopathy. HLA typing was carried out by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragments of length polymorphism (RFLP). DR9 (p < 10(-4); O.R. = 8.36) and DQA1*0301 (p < 0.05; O.R = 2.92) alleles were positively associated to diabetic retinopathy, at the opposite of DR3 (p < 10(-3); O.R: 0.01) and DQA1* (p < 10(-9); O.R = 0.15). Furthermore, among the genotypes previously considered as risk markers of IDDM in senegalese people, only DR4: DQA1*0301:DQB1*0302/DR9: DQA1*0301: DQB1*0201 was often observed in retinopathy.