HLA Polymorphism in a Sample of Iraqi Acute Lymphoid Leukemia Patients

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the association between HLA class I (A, B and Cw) and class-II (DR and DQ) antigens and acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL) in Iraqi Arab patients (45 subjects). Based on their clinical subtypes the patients were divided into two subtypes, which were L1 (17 patients)and L2 (28patients). The patients were admitted to Baghdad Teaching Hospital and National Centre of Haematological Diseases at Al-Mustansiryiah University for diagnosis and treatment during the period May 2004 - October 2005. Control sample (blood donors) of 180 subjects, matched with patients for ethnic background (Arab Muslims) was also included. The total ALL patients showed significant increased frequencies of A2 and B12, and a similar observation was made in L1 and L2 subtypes in addition to CW3 The co-occurrence of two antigens belongs to two HLA loci in the same individual was also inspected 14.8,48.1,12.9,9.3, and then their percentage frequencies were determined. Such determination revealed that there were four allelic combinations, which showed a significant increased frequency in the patients. They were A1-DR7, A2-B12, A9-B12, and CW7-DQ1. The RR values of such deviations were 7.65, 26.93, 13.26, and 18.27, respectively of sample Iraqi patients.