HLA class II genotypes in Mexican Mestizo patients with myasthenia gravis

Abstract

Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune, heterogeneous disorder, characterized by the presence of antibodies against acetylcholine receptors at the neuromuscular junction. There is a strong evidence that an individual's genetic composition is an important predisposing factor for the development of the disease. To correlate HLA class II genotypes with thymic pathology in Mexican Mestizo patients who had been subjected to thymectomy. HLA class II genes were analyzed in 60 patients and in 99 healthy ethnically matched controls. Thymic hyperplasia, atrophy, thymoma, and normal histology were encountered in 56, 33, 8 and 2% of patients, respectively. HLA-DR11 was significantly increased in patients with thymoma compared with healthy controls (pC = 0.001, OR = 13.35, 95% CI 3.5-51.3), compared with the subgroup of hyperplasia patients (pC = 0.005, OR = 15.5, 95% CI 2.78-95.58) and with the atrophy subgroup (pC = 0.04, OR = 10.5, 95% CI 1.75-70.95). This study provides the evidence of an association between HLA class II alleles with clinical and genetic heterogeneity in myasthenia gravis, particularly in those with thymoma (HLA-DR11).

Association between HLA-DRB1 and myasthenia gravis in a northern Han Chinese population

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HLA-DRB1*08 allele may help to distinguish between type 1 diabetes mellitus and type 2 diabetes mellitus in Mexican children

“…A Mexican is usually considered as a mestizo, defined as an individual who was born in Mexico and is a descendant from the native inhabitants of such region, and from individuals, mainly from Spain or from Africa, who came to America during the 16th century (35). Mexican mestizo individuals have a proportion of 56% Native American Indian genes, 40% Caucasian genes, and 4% African genes (36).…”

A risk assessment tool (OsteoRisk) for identifying latin American women with osteoporosis

“…This racial category may vary from having very dominant white characteristics to very dominant Native American characteristics. 25 28 Other risk factors, currently known or unknown, might also influence the performance of existing osteoporosis risk tools in Latin America. Considering these factors, a risk assessment tool specifically developed for Latin American populations might be most appropriate.…”