HLA-DR4 ANTIGEN AND IGM RHEUMATOID FACTORS

  • 1 January 1982
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 9  (3) , 370-373
Abstract
To investigate the possible relation between the DR4 antigen and IgM rheumatoid factors (RF), 80 patients with rheumatoid arthritis were tested for 7 HLA-DR antigens and 38 HLA-A,B,C antigens, and compared with 66 normal controls. The DR4 antigen prevalence was 48.7% in the patients and 12.1% in the controls (P < 0.001). Studying the relationship between the HLA-DR4 antigen and IgM, the genetic marker was present in 89.7% of 51 seropositive patients and in 39% of 29 seronegatives (P < 0.00001). A positive association was discovered between HLA-DR3 and antinuclear antibodies (P < 0.01). The existence of immune response genes is suggested in the major histocompatibility complex of humans.