Multiple sclerosis and HLA genotypes: A possible influence on brain atrophy:

Background:The strongest genetic determinant for multiple sclerosis (MS) is located at the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II DRB1 and DQB1 loci.Objectives:To investigate the possible role of predisposing HLA genotypes in determining brain atrophy.Methods:HLA genotypes were categorized as high risk (two predisposing haplotypes) or medium/low risk (one or no predisposing haplotypes). Patients underwent a brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study and volumes of white matter (WM), gray matter (GM), and whole brain (WB) were estimated with SIENAX. Longitudinal atrophy was also assessed with SIENA.Results:The study included 240 MS patients. In 51/240 (21%) subjects, a high-risk HLA genotype was observed, while medium- and low-risk HLA genotypes were 109/240 (45%) and 80/240 (34%), respectively. Multiple regression analysis found that the high-risk HLA genotype was associated with significant reduction in WB (p = 0.02) and GM (p = 0.03) volumes compared with the medium-/low-risk HLA genotypes, independen...