Evaluation of differences in HLA-DR4 gene and its subtypes prevalence among healthy people and RA patients in Isfahan province population

BACKGROUND: There are a lot of evidences showing that genetic play an important role in RA disease. Inheritance of some subgroups of HLA-DR4 gene increases the propensity to RA disease. In this paper, the impact of HLA-DR4 gene and its subtypes or subgroups, be consistence on RA patient who lived in Isfahan province, has been evaluated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this survey, two groups of people (100 patients in case group and 100 normal persons in control group) have been selected. These two groups were similar in age and gender. Statistical population has been considered among people who visited Al Zahra rheumatology clinic. The participants were from Isfahan province and accepted to participate to the study voluntarily. The prevalence of HLA-DR4 and its 0401-0404 subtypes were evaluated between two groups; DNA was extracted from blood samples and studied using PCR SSCP method. RESULTS: It was found that 35% of RA patients had HLA-DR4 gene, of which 14 persons had 0401, 10 persons had 0404, and 11 persons had other subtypes, whereas 30 people in control group had HLA-DR4 gene, of which 10 people had 0401, 20 people had 0404, and nobody had other subtypes. CONCLUSION: The observed differences between prevalence of HLA-DR4 gene between the case and control group were not statistically significant (P = 0.45; OR = 1.256; 95% CI = 0.69-2.27), but a relation was between HLA-DR4 0404 subtypes and RA (P = 0.02; OR = 0.44; 95% CI = 0.196-0.992).