Histocompatibility antigens in discoid and systemic lupus erythematosus

Abstract

A study of histocompatibility (HL-A) antigens in 69 patients with discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) showed an increased incidence of HL-A B7 and HL-A-B8 related to the age at onset and sex of the patient. Young females and males aged 15-39 yr at onset were associated with HL-A-B7 and females aged over 40 yr with HL-A-B8. This supports previous studies concerning sex and age specific onset rates in DLE which suggested that there is more than 1 genotype in this disorder. Female patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) at all ages of onset showed a significant association with HL-A-B8. Female patients, with onset 15-39 yr, with SLE or DLE which has transformed to SLE, showed a significant increase in HL-A-B8 compared with the females in the same age at onset group who have the discoid disease. The presence of HL-A-B8 in a young female with DLE may represent a risk factor for the development of the systemic disease.