HLA-DRB1 allele distribution in polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis: influence on clinical subgroups and prognosis.

Objective: To evaluate HLA-DRB1 associations in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and giant cell arteritis (GCA) in the Spanish population, especially those alleles that include the disease-linked sequence motif DRYF (positions 28 to 31 of the HVR2).

Methods: We performed a PCR based HLA-DRB1 genotyping in 89 PMR patients, 44 GCA patients, and 99 unrelated healthy controls from the same geographic area.

Results: We did not find any significant difference between the whole group of PMR/GCA patients (n = 133) compared with the healthy controls with the exception of a lower frequency of HLA-DRB1*0405 in the patient group (odds ratio [OR], 0.