RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HUMAN-LEUKOCYTE ANTIGEN DETERMINANTS AND COURSESOF HEPATITIS-B VIRUS-INFECTION IN CAUCASIAN PATIENTS WITH END-STAGE RENAL-DISEASE

Background: Divergent results have been reported with regard to the re lationship between the course of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) determinants. The aim of the presen t study was to investigate the phenotype frequencies of HLA class-I an d -II alleles in Caucasians with and without HBV infection. Methods: F ifty-eight patients with persistent HBV infection (group 1), 119 patie nts with resolved HBV infection (group 2), and 106 patients neither in fected by HBV nor vaccinated against HBV (group 3) were analyzed. All patients had end-stage renal disease. HLA class-I antigens were serolo gically determined. For HLA class-II typing we performed DRB1, DQA1, a nd DQB1 genotyping using a polymerase chain reaction-sequence-specific oligonucleotide procedure. Results: Compared with group 2, group 1 sh owed increased frequencies of HLA-B8, DR3 (P < 0.05), A30, DQA10501 ( P < 0.01), and a decreased frequency of HLA-B12. (P < 0.05). Decreased frequencies of HLA-B27, B40, DR13, and DQ10604 (P < 0.05) and an inc reased frequency of HLA-B35 (P < 0.05) were found in groups 1 and 2 co mpared with controls (group 3). None of the differences detected in th e phenotype frequencies of HLA alleles were statistically significant after correction. Conclusions: We conclude that the susceptibility to HBV infection and the different courses of HBV infection are not stron gly related to HLA status in Caucasians.