Distribution of HLA histocompatibility antigens, ABO blood groups and Rh antigens in alcoholic liver disease

Abstract

The distributions of 16 antigens of the HLA-A and 15 antigens of the HLA-B series of the HLA system, ABO blood groups, and Rh antigens was studied in 40 alcoholics with cirrhosis, 18 alcoholics without cirrhosis, and in normal control subjects. The group of alcoholics with cirrhosis showed a significantly high frequency of HLA-B13 (corrected P < 0.01) when compared with normal subjects, while the frequency of HLA-B13 was similar to normal in alcoholics without cirrhosis. On the basis of these findings, it seems that the carriers of HLA-B13 are more suscpetible to liver damage caused by alcohol. Both groups of alcoholics and the normal controls had a similar distribution of ABO blood groups and Rh antigens.