Association between human leucocyte antigen alleles and risk of stroke in Iranian population.

Previous studies have demonstrated associations between human leucocyte antigen (HLA) and some types of ischaemic stroke. In the present study, we genotyped HLA-A,-B and -DRB1 alleles in 140 Iranian patients with history of ischaemic stroke and 140 age-/sex-matched healthy subjects. No significant difference has been found in the distribution of HLA-A and B alleles between cases and controls. The DRB1*16 allele was significantly over-represented in patient group compared with control group (Adjusted p value = 0.048). Other HLA-DRB1 alleles were not associated with stroke risk. The HLA-B*35,B*52 genotype was significantly more prevalent among patients compared with controls (Adjusted p value = 0.03, OR [95% CI] = 9.3 [1.3, 407.2]). Several HLA haplotypes were associated with risk of stroke in the assessed population. The current study provides further evidences for participation of HLA in conferring risk of ischaemic stroke.