HLA-DRB1 gene polymorphisms in Iranian children with Henoch-Schönlein purpura

BACKGROUND: People of all ages can suffer from Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP), but it is the most common vasculitis in childhood. The most important involving gene is located on chromosome 6p21.3, a region coding for human leukocyte antigens (HLAs). Among HLA genes, because of the high rate of polymorphisms, HLA-DRB1 is estimated to have a strong association with HSP. In this study, we aimed to assess the association of HLA-DRB1 alleles with HSP in Iranian children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study consisted of thirty Iranian children with HSP and 35 healthy controls. Genomic DNA was extracted, and HLA typing was performed by polymerase chain reaction with sequence-specific primers technique. RESULTS: The results have shown that HLA-DRB1*01 and HLA-DRB1*11 (P = 0.002, odds ratio [OR] = 7.579, confidence interval [CI] = 1.934–29.697 and P = 0.039, OR = 3.333, CI = 1.030–10.788), respectively, are the most frequent alleles associated with HSP in Iranian children population. The frequency of other alleles was not significantly different in both groups. The results also show no correlation between HLA types and disease manifestations. CONCLUSION: According to these results, there is an association between HLA-DRB1*01 and HLA-DRB1*11 gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to HSP in our study group.