HUMAN LYMPHOCYTE ANTIGENS (HLA) AND GRAVES-DISEASE IN TURKEY

To evaluate the association of HLA types with Turkish patients with Gr aves' disease, HLA typing, clinical findings, and thyroid antibodies w ere correlated. The HLA types, clinical findings (ophthalmopathy and a ge at onset), and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) receptor (TRAb) an d antithyroid microsomal antibodies (MAb) were analyzed. Seventy Turki sh patients with Graves' disease and 306 control subjects were assesse d. Serological HLA typing was performed in HLA A, B, C, DR, and DQ loc i. There was a significantly increased prevalence of HLA B8, B49, DR3, DR4, and DR10 in Graves' disease. The association of Graves' disease with HLA DR3 was found to be less strong than previously described. Th e HLA DR4 antigen may contribute to the predisposition of Graves' dise ase in Turkey. The results suggest that HLA B7, B13, DR7, DQw2, and DQ w3 may confer a protective effect for Graves' disease in Turkey. Patie nts carrying HLA B12, B18, and B44 haplotypes had a tendency to develo p the disease at a later age. The difference from the other studies ma y be the result of the selection of the controls; in part, of the vari ability in serological typing reagents; and, also, of the rather weak HLA associations with the disease.