HLA and insulin-dependent juvenile diabetes mellitus.

The typing of 22 HLA-A and B antigens in members of 13 families with one child having juvenile diabetes mellitus showed a statistically significant higher frequency of HLA-B8 antigen in sick children (51.54%) as well as high parental heredity rate of this antigen, as compared to 301 normal subjects and 51 normal children of families free from diabetes mellitus. The agreement of 85.71% in one or two haplotypes in diabetic and healthy siblings in 7 families involved antigens other than B8. The results of these family studies confirm the existing relationship between HLA-B8 and juvenile diabetes mellitus as demonstrated by repeated screenings of the patients populations. The relationship of HLA antigens to insulin-dependent juvenile diabetes mellitus has been studied by many authors. The issues of their studies on patient populations revealed HLA-DR3, Dw3, DR4, Dw4, B8, B18, B15, B40, Cw3 and secondarily A1 and A2 to occur with significantly higher frequency. On the other hand, antigens DR2, Dw2, B7 (secondarily A3 and A11) are statistically less frequent in this disease, and their presence therefore means a certain protection against the risk of diabetes (4, 6, 7, 11, 15, 21). Individual authors' family studies differ in conclusions as to the occurrence of some of the above HLA antigens, and the degree of HLA identity of two siblings, one with diabetes, the other one normal (6, 8, 12, 17). For this reason we decided to start investigations on the occurrence of HLA A and B antigens in family members with one child having juvenile diabetes mellitus.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)