Background: Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous disorder associated with high CD4+cell activity, without any detectable pathogen. Clustering in families occurs, and the existence of a genetic predisposition to sarcoidosis is widely accepted. There are differences among different ethnic groups.
Methods: We studied HLA polymorphisms in 64 Turkish patients with biopsy proven sarcoidosis. The control group was taken of 160 donor candidates of kidney transplantation within the same period.
Results: Fifty-one patients were female, and 13 were male. The mean age was 39 +/- 6.1 years. Frequency of HLA A2, A9, A24 (9), A25, A69 (28), B12, B22, B38, B49 (21), DR4, and DR14 antigens were significantly higher, and frequencies of HLA B7 and DR7 were significantly less in sarcoidosis patients. Clustering in some families were also noted in our study.
Conclusions: This study implies a genetic predisposition to sarcoidosis in the Turkish population. Clustering in some families should be kept in mind.