Chronic lymphatic leukaemia: an investigation of HLA antigen frequencies and white cell differential counts in patients, relatives and controls.

Histocompatibility antigen (HLA) frequencies in chronic lymphatic leukaemia (CLL) patients and control subjects were compared with respect to disease susceptibility and prognosis. Additionally, HLA and full blood count data were compared in relatives of 25 patients and 31 controls. We found no association of HLA with susceptibility although the presence of HLA B12, alone or in combination with HLA A2, indicated better prognosis. Relatives HLA identical with the patients showed no evidence of white cell disorder when compared with haplo- or non-identical relatives, or controls. As a group, however, relatives of patients had fewer lymphocytes than relatives of controls.