Association of HLA DRB1-DQB1 Haplotypes with the Risk for Neuromyelitis Optica among South Indians.

Background: Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an autoimmune demyelinating disorder, mainly characterized by severe optic neuritis, transverse myelitis and the high levels of antibodies against NMO-immunoglobulin G (IgG) or aquaporin-4 (AQP4). HLA-DR and HLA-DQ alleles within the HLA class II region on chromosome 6p21 are known to play a significant role in several autoimmune diseases including NMO. The rationale of the current case-control study is to explore the association of HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1 alleles with the risk of NMO and its association with the clinical and serological markers.