[Analysis of the distribution of class I HLA-antigens in patients with systemic scleroderma with regard to features of the clinical course of the disease and therapy with D-penicillamine].

The distribution of HLA-A, B, C antigens has been studied in 40 patients with systemic scleroderma and in 200 healthy individuals (all Russians). An increased frequency of the antigens B35 and Cw4 has been discovered in patients, as compared with control. When analysing different clinical and common parameters, lung affection in the systemic scleroderma patients was found to be associated with the antigen A10 (58.9% versus 21% in control, RR = 5.22, EF = 0.476, Pc = 0.0363), the presence of antinuclear antibodies being associated with the antigen B35 (50% versus 17% in control, RR = 4.8, EF = 0.396, Pc = 0.0354). The association with the antigen B8 most commonly mentioned in the literature was characteristic of the patients with an earlier onset of the disease (under 30 years) and those with the rheumatoid factor. The patients having D-penicillamine-induced complications were found to have an increased frequency of the antigen B8, as compared with the alternative group of patients (2P = 0.0430).