The HLA system in congenital rubella patients with and without diabetes.

The HLA antigens of 173 patients with the congenital rubella syndrome (CR) are reported. Twenty-one of these patients are also clinically diabetic, and among them the frequencies of the HLA antigens DR2 and DR3 are significantly lower and higher, respectively, than in CR patients without diabetes or in controls. These data suggest that the genes that control susceptibility to type I or insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus are necessary for the development of glucose intolerance in CR patients.