HL‐A Antigens and Diseases. I. Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract

A total of 135 patients with a definite diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) has been HL–A typed. Increased frequencies of HL–A3 and 7 were found. Combining our material with other data revealed significant increases in HL–A3, HL–A7 and W18 and significant decreases in HL–A2 and HL–A12. The relative incidence ratios of Woolf (1955) were used in these comparisons and depicted graphically. Titres of anti‐measles virus antibody were determined in sera of 132 of the patients. Increased titres were significantly more frequent in patients carrying HL–A3, 7 and/or W18 as compared to patients lacking these antigens. This finding may be interpreted as possibly reflecting the existence of an immune recognition locus (Ir) linked to the HL–A loci.