SHORT COMMUNICATION HLA DR AND D Q RFLP ANALYSIS IN CROHN'S DISEASE

SUMMARY A study of 109 Swedish patients and 85 healthy Swedish controls with Crohn's disease (CD) by HLA class I1 RFLP genotyping was carried out. There was no significant association for any single DR or DQ specificity or phenotypic combination of DR andor DQ specificities among our study group of Caucasian extraction. Crohn's disease (CD) is characterized by a transmural granulomatous enteritis localizing primarily to the distal part of the small intestine and the colon. In addition to the gut involvement, extra-intestinal manifestations of the disease frequently occur (Greenstein et al., 1976). Several studies suggest a multifactorial aetiopathogenesis including genetic influence, altered immune mechanisms. infectious and psychogenic factors (Strober & James, 1986). Previous studies, investigating the relationship of CD to HLA antigens, have focused on class I specificities. Positive associations were described for A9, Aw33, B15, B44, Cw5, and Cw7 (Smolen