HLA-A1, B8-phenotype association and HBs antigenemia evolution in 440 hemodialyzed patients.

HBs antigen (HBsAg) has been followed up every month in 440 hemodialyzed patients, typed for 26 HLA alleles of the A and B loci. An abnormally high rate of the HL-A-A1, B8 association (18.6%) was found in the group of patients able to eliminate HBsAg, when compared with the normal French population (5.05%, p less than 10(-4), and with the group of patients unable to eliminate HBsAg (7.0%, less than 0.01). Chronic aggressive hepatitis was only found in the latter. This high frequency of the HLA-A1, B8 association has also been found in patients with seronegative active chronic hepatitis and suggests that this phenotype might be associated with high immune response against HBsAg.