Digestive and Liver Disease
Volume 42, Issue 6 , Pages 425-427, June 2010

HLA-DQ2 and -DQ8 genotypes in celiac and healthy Libyan children

  • Kamla Alarida

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pediatrics, “Omar Al Mukhtar” University, Al Bayda, Libya
    • ,
  • Jumma Harown

      Affiliations

    • El Thoura Hospital, Al Bayda, Libya
    • ,
  • Maria Rosaria Di Pierro

      Affiliations

    • Biodiagene S.r.L., Palermo, Italy
    • ,
  • Sandro Drago

      Affiliations

    • Biodiagene S.r.L., Palermo, Italy
    • ,
  • Carlo Catassi

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pediatrics, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
    • Center For Celiac Research, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author at: Department of Pediatrics, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Corridoni 11, 60123 Ancona, Italy. Tel.: +39 071 5962364; fax: +39 071 36281.

Received 4 May 2009; accepted 11 September 2009. published online 12 October 2009.

Abstract 

Background

Few data are available on the prevalence of celiac disease (CD)-predisposing, HLA-related genes in Arab populations.

Aim of the study

To investigate the distribution of HLA-DQ2 and -DQ8 genotypes in Libyan children with CD and healthy controls.

Patients

We tested 31 Libyan children with CD (22 females and 9 males, median age 9.2 years) and 156 Libyan controls (81 females and 75 males, median age 10.9).

Methods

HLA genes were determined on a drop of dried blood by the DQ-CD Typing Plus kit (DiaGene, Palermo, Italy).

Results

The HLA-DQ pattern of the 31 CD children was: hetero DQ2 (n=15), DQ2 with homo β2 (10), DQ8 and β2 positive (3), DQ8 (2), and hetero β2 (1). The HLA-DQ pattern of the 156 controls was: hetero DQ2 (n=36), hetero β2 (30), DQ2–DQ8 negative (23), DQ8 (19), α5 (14), DQ2 with homo β (12), homo β2 (10), DQ8 and β2 positive (7), and DQ2/DQ8 (5).

Conclusions

HLA-DQ2 and -DQ8 in CD patients are as common in Libya as in Italy, but the frequency of “high-risk” genotypes is higher in Libyan than Italian patients. The prevalence of HLA-DQ2 and -DQ8 genes in the Libyan general population is higher than in Italy, indicating a strong genetic predisposition to CD.

Keywords: Celiac disease, HLA-DQ genes, Epidemiology, Libyan population

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PII: S1590-8658(09)00372-7

doi:10.1016/j.dld.2009.09.004

Digestive and Liver Disease
Volume 42, Issue 6 , Pages 425-427, June 2010

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