THE MHC INFLUENCES ACUTE GRAFT-VERSUS-HOST DISEASE IN MHC MATCHED ADULTS UNDERGOING ALLOGENEIC BONE-MARROW TRANSPLANTATION

To determine whether the MHC plays an antigen non-specific role in the development of acute GVHD, the prevalence of acute GVHD in relation t o MHC genotype was examined in 51 adult patients undergoing allogeneic BM grafting. The majority of patients received grafts from HLA-identi cal siblings. HLA-B7 haplotypes were associated with a decreased risk of acute GVHD (2 of 15, p = 0.005) whereas HLA-B44 haplotypes were ass ociated with a higher risk of acute GVHD (11 of 14, p = 0.02). As thes e alleles have been reported previously as having opposite effects in relation to inflammatory mediators, these findings may have important implications with respect to donor selection and patient management.