The association of psoriasis with human leukocyte antigens in Korean population and the influence of age of onset and sex

To identify HLA markers that may contribute to the genetic susceptibility o f Koreans to psoriasis, we studied 84 psoriasis patients, with serologic HL A types of A, B, and genotypes of HLA-Cw, DRB1, DQA1, DQB1, DPB1 alleles. T he distribution of HLA markers and the associated haplotypes were analyzed according to age and sex. HLA-Cw*0602 showed the strongest association with psoriasis (relative risk = 36.0, p < 10(-8), Pc < 8 X 10(-7)). The frequen cies of A1 (relative risk = 17.0, p < 9 X 10(-7), Pc < 7 X 10(-5)), A30 (re lative risk = 5.5, p < 2 X 10(-5), Pc < 0.001), B13 (relative risk = 5.6, p < 4 X 10(-6), Pc < 3 X 10(-4)), B37 (relative risk = 30.3, p < 7 X 10(-7), Pc < 6 X 10(-5)), DRB1*07 (relative risk = 5.9, p < 2 X 10(-6), Pc < 8 X 1 0(-5)), DRB1*10 (relative risk = 26.4, p < 4 X 10(-6), Pc < 3 X 10(-4)), DQ A1*02 (relative risk = 6.2, p < 5 X 10(-7) Pc < 4 X 10(-4)), DQB1*02 (relat ive risk = 2.5, p < 0.005, Pc = ns) and DPB1*1701 (relative risk = 24.6, p < 9 X 10(-6), Pc < 7 X 10(-4)) were also significantly increased in Korean psoriasis patients. Type I and type II psoriasis were subdivided into group s of below and above 30 y of age, because of the significant difference fou nd in HLA-Cw*0602 phenotype frequency between the two groups (83.9% vs. 54. 5%, p < 0.009). In addition to HLA-Cw*0602, the frequencies of B37 and DPB1 *1701 were significantly higher in type I as opposed to type II psoriasis. HLA-A30-B13-Cw*0602-DRB1*07-DQA1* 02-DQB1*02 was identified as a high risk haplotype. This was particularly true at an early age in the female. HLA-A3 3-B44-Cw*1401-DRB1*13-DQA1* 01-DQB1*06-DPB1*0401 was defined as a protectiv e haplotype for psoriasis. The extended haplotype HLA-A1-B37-Cw*0602-DRB1*1 0-DQA1*01-DQB1*05 was discovered to be a high-risk factor in Koreans. To su mmarize, this study demonstrates the differential association of HLA accord ing to sex, and identifies a newly found high-risk haplotype and a protecti ve haplotype in Korean psoriasis patients.