The HLA‐DR4‐associated DQw8 allele is cod1.ned to HLA‐DR3/DR4 heterozygous type I (insulin‐dependent) diabetics

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Abstract
The HLA-DR4 specificity revealed a relative risk of 8.5 (.chi.2 = 99.6; p < 0.0001) when 193 type I diabetics were compared to 305 controls. Prevalence of the HLA-DR4-associated DQ types, i.e. DQw7 and DQw8, were determined, using a restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) typing that combines the probe/enzyme combinations DQB/Taq I and DQB/Bam HI. The HLA-DQw8 specificity was confined to HLA-DR3/DR4 heterozygous patients when compared to controls (.chi.2 = 4.9; p < 0.025) or to all other DR4-heterozygous patients (.chi.2 = 6.7; p < 0.01). No association with HLA-DQw8 was seen in HLA-DR1/DR4 or HLA-DR"X"/DR4 (X .noteq. 1,3,4) heterozygous patients. Due to the excess of HLA-DR3/DR4 patients the DQw8 allele is a risk factor in type I diabetics, but in HLA-DR1/DR4 and DRX/DR4 heterozygotes one might suggest that DQB1 and DRB combinations confer HLA-associated susceptibility.