HLA antigens and inflammatory bowel disease in a sample of Iraqi patients

This study investigated the association between HLA antigens and inflammatory bowel disease in 65 Iraqi patients (50 ulcerative colitis, 15 Crohn disease) compared with 67 matched controls. At HLA class I region, the patients showed significantly increased frequencies of A9 and B41 and a decrease of A11. Similar results were found when the clinical types were considered separately, except for A11, which was not significant. At HLA class II region, DR8 was significantly increased in the total patients, but the association was not maintained for ulcerative colitis or Crohn disease patients; instead Crohn disease was positively associated with DQ1. Comparing the clinical types revealed a ignificant difference in the antigen B16, suggesting that B16 is a differentiating marker in the disease.