HLA antigens in methotrexate-induced liver cirrhosis.

HLA typing was carried out in 20 psoriatics with methotrexate-induced liver cirrhosis and 44 methotrexate-treated psoriatics who at the time of investigation had not developed cirrhosis. The data were compared with results from tissue typing of 1291 healthy individuals. The antigen combination A1, B8 was found to be increased among patients with cirrhosis vis-à-vis methotrexate-treated psoriatics who did not develop liver cirrhosis. This finding is similar to data on chronic active hepatitis type A and drug-associated chronic active hepatitis. Findings of the antigen combination A1, B8 should--just as with other predisposing factors--lead to caution in liver control in psoriatics on methotrexate therapy.