HLA-DQ and-DR alleles in patients with SLE:A tertiary hospital-based case–control study in Bangladesh

Background:Systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE)is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by the involvement of multiple organs and autoantibody production.This study aimed to determine the association of human leukocyte antigen(HLA)-DQ and-DR alleles with SLE at a tertiary hospital in Bangladesh.Methods:This case-control study was conducted in the Department of Rheumatology,Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University(BSMMU),Dhaka,Bangladesh.The patients who fulfilled the 1997 revised American College of Rheumatology classification criteria for SLE were considered cases(n=41).The controls(n=32)were selected from the hospital staff of BSMMU,including doctors and nurses who did not suffer from any known rheumatic diseases,and there was no such disease in their first-degree relatives.Polymerase chain reaction using a sequence-specific primer(PCRSSP)in a low-resolution typing method was carried out on blood samples collected for HLA-DQ and-DR allele typing.Results:The cases and controls had comparable mean ages(31 vs.32 years),and most cases were female(95.1%vs.34.4%).The most frequent clinical manifestations were mucocutaneous(85.4%),followed by musculoskeletal(70.7%)and constitutional symptoms(58.5%).The cases had a significantly higher frequency of HLA-DR2 allele compared with healthy controls(70.7%vs.43.8%;odds ratio:3.1;95%confidence interval:1.2-8.2).In addition,HLADQ6 allele was found to have a significant association with mucocutaneous manifestations of the cases(88.9%,P=0.03).Conclusions:Bangladeshi adults having HLA-DR2 may be more susceptible to SLE.HLA-DQ6 allele might be associated with mucocutaneous manifestations of SLE.