HLA-DR17 and Mooren's Ulcer in South India

Objective : To investigate the association between Mooren9s ulcer and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) type DR17(3) in patients from the Tamil Nadu State of South India . Methods : Blood samples from 38 patients with Mooren9s ulcer and 45 age- and sex-matched controls were obtained prospectively. HLA-DR and -DQ typing was performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using sequence specific primers. Results : Fifteen (39.5%) of the Mooren9s ulcer patients tested positive for HLA-DR17(3), as compared to seven (15.6%) of the controls (p=0.01). Seventeen (44.7%) of the Mooren’s ulcer patients also tested positive for the closely linked HLA-DQ2, as compared to eleven (24.4%) of controls (p=0.05). When adjusted for multiplicity, the correlation between HLA-DR17(3) and Mooren9s ulcer remained statistically significant (p=0.03). Conclusions : These data demonstrate an association between HLA-DR17(3) and Mooren9s ulcer in South Indian patients, supporting autoimmune theories in the pathogenesis of the disorder.