Histocompatibility antigens in progressive systemic sclerosis (scleroderma).

A study was undertaken to determine the distribution of major histocompatibility (HLA) antigens in progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS) (scleroderma). A total of 106 patients with PSS and 208 normal controls were tested for the presence of 18 different HLA antigens by the microcytotoxicity technique. These patients were equally divided between patients with classical diffuse scleroderma (53 patients) and those with the CREST syndrome variant of the disease (53 patients). When the P values were multiplied by 18, to correct for the number of antigens studied, no significant alteration in the frequency of any HLA antigen was found for the entire group of scleroderma patients or for either of the two subpopulations.