HLA Antigens and Susceptibility to Psoriasis Vulgaris in a Non-Caucasian Population

Abstract

Unrelated Japanese patients (54) with psoriasis vulgaris were tissue typed using the Sixth International Histocompatibility Workshop antisera. Two control groups were included in this study: 31 pustulosis palmaris et plantaris and 17 seborrheic dermatitis as a disease control and 66 normal, healthy, unrelated Japanese as a reference. HL-A-A1 (P = 0.0065) from the A locus and HL-A-BW37 (P = 0.0164) from the B locus occurred with increased frequency in patients with psoriasis vulgaris. No significant difference in antigen frequencies in pustulosis palmaris et plantaris was found. HL-A-AW30 and/or AW31 and HL-A-B12 occurred with increased frequency in seborrheic dermatitis. No linkage between psoriasis and HL-A was observed in 8 families. The findings in Japanese people do not confirm previous observations made in Caucasians of an association between psoriasis vulgaris and HL-A-B13 or BW17.