Human leukocyte antigen class I (A, B) and class II (DRB1) allele and haplotype frequencies in Iranian patients with Buerger's disease

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I (HLA‐A and HLA‐B) and II (HLA‐DRB1) allele and haplotype frequencies in a group of Iranian patients with Buerger's disease (BD) in comparison with a normal healthy control group. METHODS: A total of 70 unrelated male patients and 100 healthy controls from Sina Hospital, Tehran, Iran, belonging to the same ethnic background, were enrolled in this case‐control study. HLA‐A, B, and DRB1 typing were performed by polymerase chain reaction with sequence‐specific primers (PCR‐SSP). RESULTS: The results of this case‐control study showed that the frequency of the HLA‐A*03:01 (odds ratio (OR) = 2.88, P value (Pv) = .002), HLA‐A*29:01 (OR = 15.31, Pv < .001), HLA‐DRB1*04:02 (OR = 3.41, Pv < .001), and HLA‐DRB1*16:01 (OR = 8.16, Pv < .001) was significantly higher in BD patients compared with healthy controls, whereas the frequency of the HLA‐DRB1*01:01 (OR = 0.03, Pv < .001) was significantly lower in BD patients. The most frequent extended haplotypes in our patients were HLA‐A*02:01‐B*55:01‐DRB1*04:03. CONCLUSION: This study is the first study evaluating an association between the HLA pattern and BD in the patients with BD from North West and North Iran.