Human leukocyte antigen typing in tuberculous rheumatism: Poncet's disease.

SETTING

Tuberculous rheumatism (Poncet's disease) is a reactive polyarthropathy associated with extra-pulmonary and pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) without evidence of mycobacterial infection of the involved joints. As all patients with TB do not present with this peculiar clinical feature, a genetic susceptibility is suspected.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and II alleles in Mexican mestizo patients with Poncet's disease.

DESIGN

In this case-control study of 16 Mexican mestizo patients diagnosed with Poncet's disease and 99 ethnically matched healthy controls, high resolution human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing was performed for HLA-A, B, DR and DQ by polymerase chain reaction. HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1 subtypes were performed by sequence-specific oligonucleotide probe hybridization.

RESULTS

A significantly increased frequency of HLA-B27 (corrected P = 0.01) and DQB10301 (corrected P = 0.0009) alleles and decreased frequency of HLA-DQB10302 (corrected P = 0.00001) were identified in patients compared to healthy controls.

CONCLUSION

These data suggest that genes located within the MHC may play a role in the susceptibility to Poncet's disease in patients diagnosed with TB.