HLA genotypes in Turkish patients with myasthenia gravis:: comparison with multiple sclerosis patients on the basis of clinical subtypes and demographic features

The nature and intensity of the association of myasthenia gravis (MG) with distinct human leukocyte antigens (HLA) haplotypes differ between ethnic populations. The aims of the present study were to examine the relationship between HLA class I and II haplotypes and MG; to show the HLA associations with various MG subsets; and to investigate the association between MG and clinical subgroups of multiple sclerosis (MS) regarding HLA haplotypes. A total of 66 patients with MG were enrolled onto the study. The mean age at onset was 42.01 years. A total of 122 clinically definite MS patients and 188 healthy subjects were examined as control groups. The present study clearly showed associations with HLA-DR3, -B8, -A1, and -A2 in MG. In patients with early-onset MG, associations with HLA-DR3, -B8, and -A2 were stronger. When compared with MS, in the MG group, there was still a strong association with -B8, -DR3, and -A1. In subgroup analysis, there was no difference between MG and primary progressive MS patients. On the basis of the presence of anti-AChR antibodies, there was a statistically significant association with HLA-DR3. On the basis of presence of thymoma, no HLA allele showed clear associations in MG patients with thymoma. This is the first study to examine the relationship between HLA haplotypes and MG in the Turkish population and to compare MG with another autoimmune disease, MS, on the basis of the HLA haplotypes. Further investigations with a larger population are required to explain this finding.