Abstract
Background and Objectives: Vitiligo is a pigmentary disorder with an acquired loss of pigmentation characterized histologically by absence of epidermal melanocytes. The pathogenesis is still not understood. Studies suggest that some genetic mechanism involved in the etiology of vitiligo and that is polygenic in nature. Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) molecules have an important role in regulation of the immune response. Associations between HLA-antigens and most autoimmune diseases are well established. The purpose of this study was to survey class-I HLA-typing in order to determine predisposing and preventive human leukocyte antigens in patients with vitiligo.
Materials and Methods: In this analytical case-control study, venous blood samples of 50 healthy subjects as control and 50 patients with vitiligo refered to clinic and ward of Dermatology of Tabriz Sina Hospital, from December 2004 to March 2005 are evaluated to determine the type of human leukocyte antigens with microcytotoxicity technique. The control group was selected from healthy kidney donors that were typed for HLA class I antigens.
Results: HLA-A2 (P=0.009, OR=2.901), B49 (P=0.031, OR=9.333), CW2 (P=0.008, OR=10.756), CW3 (P=0.031, OR=9.333), CW7(P=0.008,OR=10.756) were determined as predisposing antigens and HLA-A3 (P=0.019,OR=0.316) , B8(P=0.031,OR=0.107) , BW4 (P=0.000, OR=0.008), BW6(P=0.001,OR=0.206) as preventive antigens for the disease.
Conclusion: In our study positive association between vitiligo and HLA-A2 , B 49 , CW2 , CW3 , CW7 and negative association between vitiligo and HLA-A3 , B8 , BW4 , BW6 were found. The positive association of HLA-A3 , A30 , B13 , B21 , B27 BW35, BW6 , BW60 , CW6 and the negative association of HLA-19 with vitiligo, which obtained in other studies,were not encountered in our study.