Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder, and genetic factors strongly contribute to a genetic predisposition to developing the disease. This study evaluated
the genetic and molecular indicators of some Iraqi patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The study included (100) patients with rheumatoid arthritis with (100) healthy
individuals who attended Al-Hussain General Teaching Hospital, Department of
Arthritis and Joints Centre, al Blood Bank in Baghdad for the period from the beginning of January 2022 until the end of March 2022. The patients were diagnosed
under the supervision of medical committees specialized in joint diseases. The human leukocyte antigen is one of the essential genetic factors in regulating the immune response, as these antigens contribute to the susceptibility to disease. Human
leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II (Class-II- HLA-DR, -DQ) was genotyped using
lymphocytotoxicity assay and PCR-SSP method. The results showed that there was
a significant increase in the recurrence of human leukocyte antigens (DR4 R53) in
rheumatoid arthritis patients compared to the healthy ones, as well as an increase
in the recurrence of human leukocyte antigens (HLA-DQ3) with a significant difference in rheumatoid arthritis patients compared to the healthy ones. Regarding
HLA-DRB1 and -DQB1 alleles, it was found that there was a significant increase
in the frequency of HLA-DRB1*04 (01-22, not 0415) compared to healthy controls, while the percentage of HLA-DRB1*0701 alleles was less frequent in patients compared to healthy controls. Moreover, the frequency of HLADQB1*03(02,07) alleles was high in the patients compared to the healthy ones,
while HLA-DQB1*0303 showed a highly significant difference in the healthy
group compared to the patients.
Keywords: Rheumatoid arthritis, genetic factors, HLA-DRB1, -DQB1 alleles,
PCR.
