HLA and disease associations

Abstract

The data presented clearly show that the HLA system functions as a marker of disease susceptibility, both through associations and linkages. For the near future, it is likely that HLA and B-cell typing may serve to identify individuals wih extremely high risks for specific diseases. Further, HLA typing may also provide the basis for subgrouping diseases for purposes of selecting specific therapies and for defining prognosis. Eventually, HLA and B-cell typing may provide investigators with a valuable tool not only for exact mapping of disease susceptibility genes, but also for identification of the products of such genes and for elucidation of specific mechanisms of disease.