7 research outputs found
Relationship of serum HLA-B alleles and TNF-α with rheumatic heart disease
Background/aim: Acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease are
major causes of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. Genetic
studies have determined that the immune response in rheumatic heart
disease is genetically controlled and that there is a close relationship
between the gene of concern and the class II human leukocyte antigen
(HLA) gene. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship of
serum HLA-B alleles and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) with
rheumatic heart disease.
Materials and methods: A total of 50 consecutive patients with rheumatic
heart disease and 50 controls were enrolled in the study. HLA alleles
were analyzed using sequence-specific primer-polymerase chain reaction
and nucleotide sequencing.
Results: The HLA-B35 allele was significantly more common in patients
with rheumatic heart disease than the control group (P = 0.043). The
HLA-B44 allele was significantly more common in control patients than in
patients with rheumatic heart disease (P = 0.014). There was a
significant inverse correlation between high-sensitivity C-reactive
protein and mitral valve area (P = 0.001). There was no correlation
between TNF-alpha levels and mitral valve area (P = 0.066).
Conclusion: Our findings confirmed the association between HLA-B alleles
and rheumatic heart disease