%0 Journal Article %T Associations between the HLA-A polymorphism and the clinical manifestations of Behcet's disease %A Eun Ha Kang %A Jeong Yeon Kim %A Fujio Takeuchi %A Joon Wan Kim %A Kichul Shin %A Eun Young Lee %A Yun Jong Lee %A Eun Bong Lee %A Myoung Hee Park %A Yeong Wook Song %J Arthritis Research & Therapy %D 2011 %I BioMed Central %R 10.1186/ar3292 %X Genotyping for the HLA-A locus was performed using the polymerase chain reaction-Luminex typing method in 223 BD patients and 1,398 healthy controls.The phenotypic frequencies of HLA-A*02:07 (odds ratio (OR) = 2.03, P = 0.002), A*26:01 (OR = 1.85, P = 0.008), and A*30:04 (OR = 2.51, P = 0.006) tended to be higher in BD patients than in normal controls, but the frequency of A*33:03 (OR = 0.59, P = 0.003) tended to be lower in BD patients. A meta-analysis adopting our and the Japanese data confirmed the associations of HLA-A*02:07, A*26:01, and A*33:03 with BD. Furthermore, the frequencies of the HLA-A*02:07, A*26:01, and A*30:04 were significantly higher in patients with skin lesions (OR = 2.37, P < 0.0005, Pc < 0.012) and arthritis (OR = 2.32, P = 0.002, Pc = 0.048), with uveitis (OR = 3.01, P < 0.0005, Pc < 0.012), and with vascular lesions (OR = 9.80, P < 0.0005, Pc < 0.012) and a positive pathergy test (OR = 4.10, P = 0.002, Pc = 0.048), respectively, than in controls. In HLA-B*51 non-carriers, these associations were also significant, being much stronger between HLA-A*26:01 and uveitis (OR = 4.19, P < 0.0005, Pc < 0.012) and between HLA-A*30:04 and vascular lesions (OR = 13.97, P < 0.00005, Pc < 0.0012). In addition, HLA-A*30:04 was associated with genital ulcers in HLA-B*51 non-carriers (OR = 3.89, P = 0.002, Pc = 0.048).HLA-A*02:07, A*26:01, and A*30:04 were associated with increased risk for BD, while HLA-A*33:03 with decreased risk. HLA-A*02:07, A*26:01, and A*30:04 were associated with skin lesions and arthritis, with uveitis, and with vascular lesions, genital ulcers, and a positive pathergy test, respectively.Behcet's disease (BD) is a chronic relapsing inflammatory disease characterized by oro-genital ulcers, cutaneous inflammation, and uveitis. In addition to its typical muco-cutaneous and ocular manifestations, BD targets the musculoskeletal, vascular, nervous, and gastrointestinal systems [1]. Although the etiology of BD remains unclear, strong famili %U http://arthritis-research.com/content/13/2/R49