Association of HLA‐DR4/Dw4 and DR2/Dw2 with radiologic changes in a prospective study of patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract
Patients admitted to a prospective study within a year of onset of suspected rheumatoid arthritis showed a positive correlation between HLA‐Dw4 and the eventual severity of peripheral radiologic changes. Dw4 and DR4 were strongly associated with severity of erosions when analysis was restricted to each of the following: patients with erosions, those under 50 at onset, and all females. Relationships were consistently stronger with Dw4 than with DR4. Another D‐related specificity, MT3, was positively correlated and Dw2/DR2 negatively correlated with erosions.