IMMUNOGENETIC STUDIES ON HLA-DR IN GERMAN COAL-MINERS WITH AND WITHOUT COAL-WORKERS PNEUMOCONIOSIS

Coal worker's pneumoconiosis is caused by the pulmonary deposition of coal dust, including silica particles. Several factors such as chemica l composition and physical properties of silica-containing dust, parti cle size distribution, intensity, and duration of exposure influence t he disease development. Genetic factors may also be involved. To defin e whether HLA-DRB may function as a genetic factor for predisposition to coal worker's pneumoconiosis, we determined DRB1, 3, 4, 5 alleles. For this purpose, DRB typing with sequence-specific oligonucleotide pr obes in 204 German miners with pneumoconiosis and in 52 German miners without pneumoconiosis was used. The miners had worked under comparabl e conditions. The frequency of DR8 (10801-0804) was increased in pati ents developing pneumoconiosis during the first 15 years of mining (p = 0.047). The frequency of DR1 (10101-0103) was elevated (p = 0.022) and that of DR52 (30101, 3*0201, 3*0202, and 3*0301) was reduced (p = 0.026) in miners without pneumoconiosis. Our data show that the prese nce of DR1 and the absence of DR52 support the resistance to coal work er's pneumoconiosis. Furthermore, DR8 may be involved in the rapid dev elopment of coal worker's pneumoconiosis.