HLA associations in subjects with rheumatoid arthritis and bronchiectasis but not with other pulmonary complications of rheumatoid disease.

We have examined HLA-DR, DQA and DQB variants in 72 controls, 153 subjects with RA without extra-articular features and in subjects with the rheumatoid pulmonary complications of interstitial fibrosis (23) peripheral airways disease (13) and in 41 subjects with RA and bronchiectasis. Subjects with RA alone showed the expected association with HLA-DR4 (79%) but those with RA and co-existent pulmonary fibrosis were less likely to be DR4 positive (61%). No other HLA-DR variants were significantly increased in the different disease groups. HLA-DQB1*0501 which types serologically as DQw1 was increased in subjects with RA and peripheral airways disease as compared to rheumatoid subjects with normal lung function, but these differences were not statistically significant. DQB1*0601 was increased in subjects with bronchiectasis with or without RA (but only significantly so in RA-BR subjects) DQB1*0301, DQB1*0201 and DQA1*0501 frequencies were also increased in subjects with RA and bronchiectasis as compared to those with RA alone.