A Study of HL‐A Antigen Phenotype in Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease Patients

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Abstract
The distribution of the HL–A antigens was studied in 76 patients who have had rheumatic fever or have rheumatic heart disease and in 177 disease‐free Caucasian individuals. There was a decreased incidence of A–3 in the disease group as compared to the control. No significant increase in the frequency of any HL–A antigen was detectable in the disease group as compared to normal controls. The results were not affected by the exclusion of non Caucasians from the disease group. The parents of patients with rheumatic fever and heart disease showed a significant increase in shared antigens as compared with the parents of disease‐free individuals. The total number of HL–A antigens detected on lymphocytes from rheumatic patients was significantly less than on those from normal individuals.