HLA CLASS-II GENES ASSOCIATED WITH REM-SLEEP BEHAVIOR DISORDER

Twenty-five white men with rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior dis order, but without narcolepsy, underwent HLA class II antigen typing; 84% (N = 21) were DQw1 (DQB105,06) positive (28% [N = 7] were DR2 pos itive); DQB10501 (N = 9) and DQB1*0602 (N = 7) were the most common p henotypes. The 84% DQw1 rate in men with REM sleep behavior disorder w as significantly greater (p = 0.015) than the 56% DQw1 rate found in a local white comparison group (N = 66), and was greater than the 39 to 66% DQw1 rates published for 12 white groups (N = 40-418/group). Thus , another disorder of REM sleep dysregulation (besides narcolepsy) app ears to be strongly associated with specific HLA class II genes.