HLA Type and Occurrence of Disease in Familial Polyglandular Failure

Abstract

THE association of atrophy of one endocrine organ with atrophy of another endocrine organ (idiopathic Addison's disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, gonadal atrophy, diabetes mellitus and hypoparathyroidism) and with other illnesses (myasthenia gravis, pernicious anemia, vitiligo and Graves's disease) is well recognized.¹ Though an increased frequency of autoantibodies has been demonstrated in many of these disturbances, it is unclear why the disturbances should be linked. Recent observations indicating that specific human histocompatibility antigens are found with increased frequency in patients with some of these disorders (myasthenia gravis, HLA-B8²; Graves's disease, HLA-B8³; Addison's disease, HLA-B8⁴; insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, HLA-B8 and . . .