INCREASED FREQUENCY OF B8-DR3 IN SCLERODERMA AND ASSOCIATION OF THE HAPLOTYPE WITH IMPAIRED CELLULAR IMMUNE-RESPONSE

  • 1 January 1981
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 43  (3) , 478-485
Abstract
Patients with scleroderma (28) were typed for 40 HLA antigens. A highly significant increase in the frequency of HLA-B8 and HLA-DR3 was observed, which was not related to disease severity. In vitro lymphocyte stimulation tests were performed in 26 patients. Humoral and in vitro cellular immune responses to a primary test antigen were measured in 12 of them. Although the scleroderma patient group as a whole had an impaired cellular response, only the B8/DR3+ patients had a strongly depressed response; the immune response of the others was normal. An association of the haplotyped B8/DR3 with impaired cellular immunity is suggested.