Objective. To determine the frequency, clinical associations, and any major histocompatibility complex correlations of antifibrillarin antibodies in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc).Methods. Antifibrillarin antibodies were determined by indirect immunofluorescence, immunoblotting, and immunoprecipitation, and HLA class I1 alleles by DNA oligotyping, in a large cohort of SSc patients.Results. Antifibrillarin was found in 8% of 335 SSc sera and was significantly more common in blacks (16%) than whites (S%), in males (33%) than females (14%), and in patients with cardiac, renal, or gut involvement. The HLA class I1 haplotype DRBZ *Z302, DQBZ*0604 was found significantly more frequently in SSc patients with antifibrillarin compared with racematched normal controls and 260 SSc patients without antifibrillarin. In addition, 1 or more of the HLA-DQB1

Most African-American patients with rheumatoid arthritis did not express the rheumatoid epitope. The predisposition to and severity of rheumatoid arthritis in African-Americans appears to be independent of the presence and dose of the shared rheumatoid epitope.

Sir -The prognosis and survival rates of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have improved over the years1; thus, an increasing number of women with SLE are reaching the age of menopause. In addition, the use of cyclophosphamide therapy and the disease itself increase the risk of premature ovarian failure in these patients.2 Therefore, as our LUMINA (Lupus in Minorities: Nature versus Nurture) cohort matures, we have been intrigued by the accrual of damage in our postmenopausal women. Previously, we have examined damage accrual in our cohort patients whose disease started before and after the menopause and concluded that it was age rather than the menopause that accounted for damage accrual in the postmenopausal women.3 With a larger number of LUMINA cohort patients, and more years of observation having occurred, we sought to re-examine this matter. We, therefore, examined the role of menopause versus age by regressing age on menopause so that the effect of menopause per se could be better determined.The current analyses were limited to the women in the LUMINA cohort. Briefly, at entry into the cohort (T0), patients had disease duration ≤5 years, were ≥16 years of age and were of defined ethnicity (Hispanic from Texas and Puerto Rico, African American, or Caucasian).

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A reduced frequency of HLA-DQ6 in patients with a positive direct antiglobulin test (DAT) was previously reported but race was undisclosed. Therefore, we investigated a total of 275 patients (80 Caucasian, 113 African American, and 82 Mexican American) and 518 normal controls (205 Caucasian, 208 African American, and 105 Mexican American). These were typed for class II HLA antigens using molecular techniques. A DAT was performed on each patient's red cells drawn into EDTA using both mouse and rabbit polyspecific reagents. Of 275 patients tested, 73 (27%) had a positive DAT (12 Caucasians, 35 African Americans, and 26 Mexican Americans). We found that 5 (42%) Caucasian patients and 103 (50%) Caucasian controls possessed the DQB*06 allele (p = .56). In the African American group, 15 (43%) patients and 91 controls (44%) were DQB*06 positive (p = .92). Six Mexican American patients (23%) and 21 controls (20%) had the DQB*06 allele (p = .72). This article underscores the need to use race-matched controls when genetic disease associations are sought. Immunohematology 2000; 16:74-7.