Risk Conferred by HLA-DR and DQ for Type 1 Diabetes in 0-35-Year Age Group in Sweden

HLA DR4-DQ8 and DR3-DQ2 haplotypes account for 89% of newly diagnosed cases of type 1 diabetes (T1D) in Sweden. The presence of a single copy of DQ6 confers protection. The aim of the present study is to evaluate whether the risk conferred by high risk HLA DR and DQ to T1D is similar in all regions of Sweden and see whether there are any significant regional differences. The subjects comprised 799 consecutively diagnosed T1D patients and 585 age-, sex-, and geography-matched healthy controls in the age group 0-35 years. HLA typing for high-risk haplotypes was previously performed using PCR-SSOP and RFLP The results showed that HLA DR3-DR4 gave an odds ratio of 8.14 for the whole of Sweden. However, when the study group was divided into six geographical regions, subjects from Stockholm had the highest OR, followed by those from Lund, Linkoping, Gothenburg, Umea, and Uppsala. Absolute protection was conferred by the presence of DQ6 in subjects from the Linkoping region, but varied in the other regions. The frequency of DR3 and DQ2, DR4 and DQ8, DR15, and DQ6 in patients showed high linkage for each region, but were different between regions. In conclusion: The risk conferred by high-risk HLA varies in different regions for a homogenous population in Sweden. The results highlight the important role played by the various environmental factors in the precipitation of T1D.