Purpose: To evaluate how the HLA genotype is associated to the polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) in a population of patients of Afro-Caribbean descent.
Methods: Forty-seven patients were diagnosed with PCV. The number of control patients was 457. All affected patients and control patients were of Afro-Caribbean descent and natives to Martinique. HLA typing was based on blood sample, using the polymerase chain reaction technique. Comparison of HLA alleles between the 2 groups was done using chi-2 test, odds ratio (OR) and confidence interval using Woolf's method. The Bonferroni correction was considered significant when p-value ≤0.05. Alleles frequency was analyzed for DRB1 and DQB1 locus.
Results: HLA-DRB1*13 allele was significantly associated to PCV (OR = 2.02, CI = [1.3; 3.13], p = 0.003). In group DRB1, the Bonferroni correction significance threshold was <0.004. HLA-DQB1*04 allele was significantly associated to PCV (OR = 3.5, CI = [1.48; 8.3], p = 0.006). In group DQB1, the Bonferroni correction significance threshold was <0.006.
Conclusion: Two HLA alleles are positively associated to PCV. The possible association between PCV and certain alleles suggest HLA implication in PCV pathogeny, most likely by modeling the immune system response.
Keywords: genetic predisposition; human leucocyte antigen; major histocompatibility complex; polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy.
© 2022 Merle et al.