HLA AND DP IN FINNISH FAMILIES WITH CELIAC-DISEASE

We studied DQA1, DQB1, and DPB1 alleles in 31 Finnish families with ce liac disease (CD). All healthy first-degree relatives underwent clinic al investigation, including in most cases biopsy, to establish whether clinically silent CD was present. Our results indicate that all patie nts, having either full clinical CD or its silent form, had the suscep tibility alleles DQA10501 and DQB1*0201. The different clinical outco mes of CD were therefore not directly determined by the DQ alleles. Th e frequency of DPB10101 was also higher in CD patients, but the assoc iation appeared secondary to those of DQA10501 and DQB1*0201 (DQ2). T he primary association of CD with the DQA10501 and DQB1*0201 alleles, rather than with HLA haplotypes, was confirmed in multiplex families.